


Anrui Lethenanashi

by pyrrhical (anoyo)



Series: Really Old Fic [12]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Mostly original characters, Multi, Pre-Comic Book Backstories, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-01-23
Updated: 2003-01-23
Packaged: 2018-10-10 03:09:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 40,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10427808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anoyo/pseuds/pyrrhical
Summary: Actually Summary: I'm fairly certain this is the story of Heero's parents. My original summary was "this story is about a young woman who gets dragged into a whole mess of crap that she wasn't really meant to deal with," but I'm pretty sure I was burying the lead.There is a very good chance that this is the first fanfic I ever wrote. (Or, at least, that I ever wrote and put on the Internet. If something's older, I probably lost the floppy disc with the fic on it.)This is pre-series, and during-series, and TWT? Shameless self-insertion.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written 1/16/03 - 2/17/03. 
> 
> This is absolutely not going to be finished. The only way I'd finish this is if five complete strangers comment asking me to. Otherwise, nothing.
> 
> Also, 14-year-old me edited this the best she could. She even started rewriting it at the end of 2004. She just didn't get very far. 28-year-old me is far too lazy to correct any of these errors.

A young girl ran, panting heavily, from her pursuers. She knew that if she were to be caught it would be a disaster. She was far too important. Far too. . .abnormal. Her name was Anrui Lethenanashi, Ann for short. That wasn't her real name, but no one knew that for certain. During the explosion of her colony, she had been thrown into space. It was incredible that she was still alive. So incredible, that she had been dubbed immortal. There had been many attempts to kill her, but none had claimed her life. After the explosion, all records of her were lost and she spent seven years drifting from organization to organization. All were testing the same thing: why she didn't seem able to die. She had named herself, in a language that no one could translate. Her name was in Japanese. Japanese had been dubbed one of the ancient languages -- one of the people she had worked with couldn't figure out how she could lose all of her memories yet still know a language that hardly any people left living knew. She knew that and practically every fact that there was, including calculus and Physics.

This was another of her abnormalities. She had known all of this at the age of three. No one could figure her out. She knew practically everything, except for the most basic human knowledge. Her name. She knew when and where she was born, what hospital and which colony. But her name eluded her.

She was a rather odd-looking child as well. She had waste-length black hair and the deepest blue eyes that anyone had ever seen. She had a beautiful face and full lips and she was physically stronger than anyone ever recorded. Yet, she didn't know her own name -- as far as any researcher knew. She also had the talent of lying efficiently to a lie detector and getting away with it. Her face betrayed nothing as to what she was thinking, and she seemed, for the most part, completely cold and un- feeling. But, none of that mattered now. Now she was running for her life. The immortal girl was finally afraid. She knew she could die, and so did this new enemy. They knew how to kill her and wanted her dead: bad combination. She panted harder as she ran faster and faster. She knew who she was, and so did they. She had to destroy them or they would destroy her. That was precisely what she planned to do. Ann's fifteen-year-old mind could calculate figures and solutions, but now it was calculating a way to destroy those who wanted to destroy her. The last organization that had had control over her had already been wiped out; she couldn't ask them for help.

No matter how fast she ran, they still gained on her, she couldn't outrun them. She knew that they were eventually going to catch up with her, but she dreaded it. She had to form a plan and fast. Her whole existence rode on one plan, one simple equation. But her senses had deserted her, she was afraid and that fact was the only thing that her body wanted to concentrate on. It didn't know its own fate, it knew nothing of the fact that she would die if she could not think properly.

Ann's mind suddenly snapped open again. It was so simple! She didn't know why she had not thought of it before! All she had to do was set off the explosives! The man that ran the organization she had recently been a part of had told her about them. There were twenty-seven explosives positioned all over the base. If she set them off she would most definitely kill 90% of her pursuers. That was the only chance she had and she had to take it. She ran towards the control room: it was at the east end of the building on the fourth floor, she was currently at the south end on the second floor. Ann turned right and came to a staircase; it would take her up to the third floor, but would indefinitely be a dead end. She kept running until she found the next staircase; this one went all the way up to the fourth floor, it was the right one. She went up, taking the stairs four or five at a time. When she reached the top she turned left so that she was headed in an easterly direction. She ran on for another five minutes and then came to an area where the hall split in four directions, one being the way she had just come. She knew that if she took the right and left passages she would run into a trap, but her pursuers didn't know that. She had gotten ahead of them after the staircase but could hear them closing in on her. She ran strait so that she would ultimately reach the control room.

She ran for another two minutes before coming to a halt outside of the control room. She quickly ran inside and found the control for the bombs. She flipped it, knowing that she had two minutes to get out of there before the bombs detonated. She ran back out of the room and towards the captain's bedroom, it had a window. Once she reached the room she knew she had about a minute left. She took a deep breath and ran directly towards the window. She put her arms in front of her face as she collided with it, glass flying all around her. After she was clear of most of the glass she removed her arms and readied herself for the landing. The impact wasn't as hard as she thought it would have been. She immediately started running again; this time into the forest that bordered the main building. As she reached the outskirts the building exploded, sending all the troops waiting out side reeling. She had also been too close. She was blown off her feet and halfway into the forest before she smashed into a tree and blacked out.

Ann awoke an hour later in the forest. Half of the trees around her were on fire. She would have lain where she was, but she heard voices. Troops. They were obviously checking the area in case she had escaped. Well, she wasn't about to let them find her now. She jumped to her feet, ignoring the searing pain that shot up her right leg, and ran farther into the forest. After running for another four minutes she came to the edge of the forest. She slowed down in case there were soldiers waiting there, but, miraculously, there weren't any. They all must have thought that she was either dead or unconscious due to the explosion. They had underestimated her -- she was very much alive. Her worst injuries were the burn on the side of her leg and the four deep gashes in her back, probably due to hitting the tree. She would live on to see another day, but she stood and prayed silently for those who had lost their lives. They may have been trying to kill her, but they were still human. That alone earned them the right to be prayed for. When she ended her prayer, Ann opened her eyes and looked around; she was on the outskirts of an enormous estate. She saw the building in the distance and marveled in its size. It looked as though it was made for a king, or it even could have been an entire city in itself! She now knew why the soldiers hadn't come to look for her here. She wondered if she would be safe walking up to the house and asking for assistance. She decided that she'd risk it.

As Ann walked up to the building she marveled in the beautiful landscaping. There was a fountain in the middle of the enormous circle driveway: this had to be the home of a very important person. She couldn't remember if the captain had told her anything about this place. Just the fact that she couldn't remember if he had said anything meant that he hadn't. He had obviously thought that there would be no need for her to ever lay eyes upon it. As she reached the house she noticed a car pulling up. She decided that she didn't care if whoever was driving it saw her. She needed assistance and any at all was appreciated. As the car reached the house, so did Ann. When the driver exited the car to let out the passenger, he was obviously surprised to see her. Ann suddenly realized that she must look like a wreck. She knew that her back was bleeding and her l3g probably had at least second degree burns on all sides of it. The driver rushed to the door of the car and let out the passenger in a hurry. The passenger of the car was a young man that looked about her age. He had dark brown hair and the same color eyes. The driver hastily pointed Ann out to him and the young man seemed as much in shock as the driver. But his legs still seemed to work and he ran over to her as though his pants were on fire.

"Are you all right?" He asked stupidly. He had a beautiful British accent.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need a change of clothing." Ann answered in a dry voice. The young man had obviously taken it for sarcasm, and, to Ann's amazement, didn't take it personally.

"Oh dear, that truly was a foolish question, ne? I would be glad to offer you assistance in any way possible. This is my home and you are welcome to come inside. I'm sure that one of the maids has something that will fit you if you need clothing, and it looks like you do. I will call for the family doctor to come in and clean you up a bit." He stared at her for a bit and she suddenly felt the urge to smile, something she hadn't done in years. So, she smiled and curtsied.

"I thank you very much for your charitable donation," she answered as though he had just agreed to buy three boxes of Girl Scout cookies.

"A-all right," he stuttered. He was obviously shocked that she could still move. "Please come in." He held out his hand to help her inside the house but she walked straight past him and called over her shoulder.

"Again, I thank you."

"It is my pleasure. I never have company way out here." He smiled and followed her in doors.

When Ann entered the house she almost fell over. It was even more impressive inside than outside if that was even possible. As she entered the front hall there were two rooms leading away to the left and right. Each of them was furnished plentifully. They were full of velvet sofas and chairs, and lined with large pictures of people. Some were very recognizably this young man and others Ann could not place. As she walked along the hall with one of the maids, Ann admired the pictures that also lined the hall. Yet again, she recognized pictures of the young man, and still more people that she could not recognize. But, after about four minutes walking down the seemingly endless hallway, she came to another person she recognized. Ann stopped mid-step when she saw it. On the right wall, right next to a doorframe, was a picture of the leader of the colonies, Heero Yuy, in casual attire. He was smiling and looked about ready to laugh. Where this young man would have gotten a photograph like this was not even imaginable in Ann's brilliant mind. She just stared at it, then, realizing she had been left behind by the maid, scurried in the general direction that she had been going.

When Ann caught up with the maid, she found herself outside of a beautiful bedroom. The maid, whose name turned out to be Isabelle, had already laid out a change of clothes and was running bath water. Ann just barely heard her call from the small adjoining bathroom.

"How hot do you like your water, miss?" she called in a thick Dutch accent.

"Very hot. I need to wash out these cuts," Ann called back. Isabelle laughed.

"That's very funny, miss. You should know perfectly well that I will wash them for you. I am perfectly suited to do so and Master Andrew has asked me to. I have to do what he tells me to -- he is my employer." Ann smiled lightly. Andrew. What a perfect name for him. A perfect name for a perfectly kind person. It was truly wonderful that she had come upon these people. As Ann was smiling, recognition of what Isabelle had just said entered her preoccupied mind and Ann paled.

"No, thanks. I'd like to wash myself if you please," Ann said rather shakily.

"No, Master Andrew insisted that I help you out." Isabelle appeared, concern etched upon her beautiful face. "Do you have something that you would prefer to hide from me?"

"No," Ann said quickly. "It's not that, it's just that I would prefer to bathe myself. I am quite capable of doing so."

"Oh, I know that. You look like a very independent person. But, nonetheless, you will need assistance in bathing a few of those cuts. Lord knows that you will need to keep that leg out of the hot water. Hot water will only make it worse." Isabelle suddenly laughed. "Is this whole thing about you not wanting me to see you naked?" she asked.

Ann blushed. "Yes."

Isabelle laughed again. "Well, my dear, I am also a woman, and, if I'm not badly mistaken, you aren't quite completely done maturing anyway. You don't really have anything to hide."

"Actually, I do. You see, I am kind of a soldier, only kind of, and when you have to run, it's very annoying when you, well, bounce, so I kind of tape myself down." Ann blushed harder while Isabelle looked at her funny.

"You mean to say that you actually tape your breasts down?" Ann blinked a couple of times at the bluntness of her question.

"Well, yes." She scratched her head. "What's wrong with that?"

"You should never hide who you are!" Isabelle looked suddenly outraged. "While you are staying in this house you will refrain from doing such preposterous things!"

Ann blinked again. "I think you've misunderstood something. All I wanted from you people was a change of clothing and some food. I never intended to stay here for any length of time. I really don't know why you would think that I was going to stay here." Ann tried hard not to notice the hurt in Isabelle's eyes. "Plus, taping myself down is for strategic reasons only. I don't mind being female, really," she muttered and twiddled her thumbs.

"Even after we do all of this for you, you still intend to leave? Master Andrew would be so pleased to have someone staying here. He's so lonely. He has to live here in secret-" Isabelle suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth. "I shouldn't have told you that." But Ann had already heard her loud and clear.

"Andrew's in hiding? Why would someone like him need to hide?" Ann asked, very curious as to the matter.

"I don't think-" But she was cut off by a third voice: Andrew's.

"I will tell her. She seems like she needs to stay in secret as well," he said to Isabelle. He turned to Ann. "No one is supposed know I exist. My parents were never supposed to be together. It people knew I were here there would be a huge uproar." He bowed politely. "My name is Andrew Yuy." Ann's jaw fell.

"Then that makes you-!" Ann clapped her hands over her mouth as Andrew nodded. "How do you know that I won't tell?" she asked, growing suddenly serious.

"Because if you do I'll go back and find those men who came to the door asking if I'd seen a girl with long black hair and blue eyes. Girls like that are truly rare." He smiled politely. Ann paled.

"How did you know not to rat me out?" Ann asked.

"They didn't seem like very nice people. I just came to the conclusion that they were the ones who hurt you. I don't like people who harm others." Andrew said, nodding concisely.

"Then you're going to hate me. I was just forced to blow up half of their number," Ann said softly, ignoring the fact that Andrew looked as though he was going to be sick.

"Why? Why would you do such an inhumane thing?" he stuttered.

"Because if I hadn't killed them they would have killed me. That was the entire reason they came here; to kill me." Ann looked at the ground. "It was merely self-defense."

"Why would they want to kill you?" Andrew asked, nonplussed.

"Because," Ann mumbled. "I'm a threat to them someway or another. I hated doing it though. I've never had to resort to killing another person before."

Andrew's eyes softened. "Why are you a threat?"

Ann grinned in irony. "Because it takes a damn hard beating to kill me?" Her eyes grew sadder. "A lot of people think that I'm immortal." Andrew looked confused.

"Why would they think you were immortal?" He stepped back as Ann's eyes suddenly grew fierce.

"I don't know why I've even told you this much; you are now a threat to my security. I never asked you to do all this for me. All I wanted you to do was give me a spare change of clothing and a hot meal, and then I was going to leave," she said in anger.

"If you try to leave I will call my father and have him send guards over here to keep you in custody. Then everyone will know exactly where you are," Andrew said with the same vehemence..

Ann's breathing increased and her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

"If it would keep you here I would." Pain-filled eyes looked up at her. "I thought I had finally found someone who could stay here, with me. I have no one. No one who can be with me all the time that is, with the exception of my staff. They have always been here for me." Tears welled up in his beautiful brown eyes. Ann could not help but feel bad.

"I would only put all of you in danger," she said sullenly. "I am a threat to too many people. Most of them think that I am immortal. Maybe if we meet again someday I'll tell you why." Ann suddenly turned and was about to run to the window when Andrew grabbed her arm. She was shocked that she could not break free from his grasp, yet somehow relieved.

"I will not allow you to leave." He said suddenly. "I want you to stay here with me. I have been alone for a very long time, too long. You are perfect. You obviously have no one who would miss you." He clapped a hand over his mouth as Ann winced at the comment.

"You're right. I have no one. My family died in an explosion. One that should nave killed me but didn't." Ann's strong eyes welled up with tears. "You don't know what it's like to wake up somewhere and realize that you are all alone, and alive. You will never know how many times I have wished that I were dead. Too many to count. . .far too many. Someone as pure as you are will be better off if I leave," she gulped.

"No, you have to stay here. Only until someone threatens you and us; I promise that I will let you leave then. I promise." His brown eyes pleaded silently with her.

Ann wiped her eyes and smiled. "All right, but only until you are threatened." To her surprise, Andrew walked forward and hugged her tightly.

"Now I get a friend. Hmm. I'll have to introduce you to my mother and father; they are both visiting in two weeks. But right now, you need to let Isabelle clean your wounds. Supper will be ready at precisely six o'clock. See you then." With that, Andrew turned and walked out of the room, leaving behind a very bewildered Ann. She blinked a couple of times quickly.

"I haven't even told him my name."


	2. Chapter Two

"Well, my dear, you heard the man. I get to clean you up." Isabelle reached over and grabbed Ann's arm. "As for your name, you can tell us over supper. Then, you can make something up for the doctor so that no one can place you. I'm sure you will find us trustworthy enough to tell. You don't need to worry about us telling anyone. If Andrew told anyone, he would be found and that would truly be a disaster. Well, take off your clothing and let me wash your cuts and hair. I won't ogle you. We're both women." Ann blushed but complied.

"What would you do if I told you my name right now?" Ann asked Isabelle.

"Listen, I suppose." Isabelle smiled.

Ann laughed and replied. "My name is Anrui Lethenanashi, Ann for short. That's not really my real name, but it'll do. I've never told anyone my real name. Well, not since my parents died that is. I don't really feel like it, someone might place me. Can't have that happening, now can we?" Ann laughed as she wrapped a towel around herself.

"Well now. I hope you feel that you can tell us someday." Isabelle murmured thoughtfully. "I'm sure that your name is as beautiful as you are."

"Since I do not consider myself beautiful, I would have to say that my name is far more beautiful than I am. I truly love my name. It's the one thing I have left that no one can ever take away from me." Ann smiled sadly.

"Well, come here. I can't quite bathe you with that towel on." Isabelle laughed.

"I still don't see why you have to bathe me. I am a big girl now, I think that I can bathe myself." Ann laughed back, but took off her towel. Much to her surprise Isabelle didn't even glance at her. She just set to work gathering bandages and things to treat Ann's cuts with.

Once Ann was in the bathtub, Isabelle walked over and quickly tched her. "Ann! You may not put that leg of yours in the water! It will only make it worse!" She looked as though she might explode.

Ann quickly removed her leg from the water, sending spray everywhere. "Sorry, Isabelle! I didn't even notice. I guess I just didn't even feel the pain anymore." Ann shrugged.

"How could you not feel that kind of pain!? I wouldn't be able to focus on anything else." Isabelle looked entirely empathetic.

" I guess I'm just used to it." Ann shrugged. "This sort of thing has happened many times before. I have taught my mind to focus on other things in this type of situation." She smiled sadly once more.

"I don't know what to say to you, Miss Ann." Isabelle looked choked. "I never want to have such pain as you have now."

All through their conversation, Isabelle had been cleaning Ann's wounds. She now came to the four deep ones on her back. She gently ran a thin finger down each of them. "I truly feel sorry for you, but I am sure that is not what you want me to feel. I just can't help it. This must be so painful for you, not just the exterior wounds, but the interior as well." A lone tear fell down her cheek.

"Yes, it does hurt. But I have learned to put up wit it, everyone hurts at some point, do they not?" Ann smiled sadly once again.

"Is that the only way you know to smile? With remorse? If it is, you need Master Andrew and I even more than I thought you would." She patted Ann's shoulder as she finished bandaging the wounds. "I hope we are not threatened any time soon. I want you to meet Master Yuy as much as Master Andrew does. He is such a kind person." She smiled again.

"Yes, it is the only way I know to smile because it is the only way I have ever smiled. Not since my parents died; back then I used to smile all the time, I was merry and hyper. I used to be very, very hyper. I could go on forever and ever after eating just one chocolate. Hmm. Chocolate. I haven't had chocolate in a while; I used to love chocolate. My favorite kind was dark chocolate. I would eat it and eat it and eat it! I could eat it for days on end while my parents were on business trips! My nanny Elizabeth let me, too. She didn't know just what to do with me at times. If I didn't get my way I used to jump up and down and drive them all bonkers until they gave me what I wanted. That was just my way of gaining attention, you see. I had five elder brothers and one younger brother who got all the attention. Mother was so much of a tomboy. It's funny how I remember all of this, seeing as I was three when they all died." Ann's happy state at remembering the chocolate didn't disperse after she mentioned the deaths of her family. She remained buoyant and happy.

"Well, we'll have to order some chocolate for you." Isabelle had finished dressing Ann's leg as the young girl was happily reminiscing.

"Oh, would you, Isabelle? That would be wonderful!" Isabelle marveled at the change in Ann's voice. She seemed somehow refined now, as to acting like a regular old tomboy when she had first arrived. She liked to think that she had something to do with that.

"What's your favorite brand? I can get anything for you." Isabelle smiled.

"Umm. I like the stuff in the green box, I can't remember the name." Ann smile and Isabelle laughed.

"I'll see what I can do." She held out a towel for Ann. "I decided to let you wash your hair after the doctor leaves as it is quarter to six o'clock right now. I will help you dry off and get into your new clothing. I grabbed something of Andrew's mother because she used to be exactly your size and this used to be her house so there were plenty of her old things lying around in her closet." Isabelle smiled gently. "I hope you like it. I found a pair of jeans and a white blouse that laces up in the front, very much like your ruined one. We will have clothing ordered for you as soon as possible." She helped Ann to dry off just as she had said she would.

"Thank you for your kindness to a nobody like me." Ann laughed.

"No problem, Miss Ann. If it weren't for you, Master Andrew would still be alone. He had been acting rather depressed over the last few weeks so we let him go and visit the town. Under cover, of course, but we did let him go. That, as Charles says, just depressed him more. He saw all those normal people and probably got upset. That's my theory. But, now that you are here, he won't be alone anymore, and I personally think that it will add a little spice to our lives, no?" Isabelle mocked a teenager with the last couple lines Ann just laughed.

"I still feel like I have to thank you, Isabelle. But, I also need to make a request." Ann pretended to look serious, and, for the most part, succeeded.

"Yes, Miss Ann?" Isabelle looked mildly surprised.

Ann burst out laughing. "Please stop calling me Miss Ann. Its just Ann. Nothing more!!!" They both laughed after Ann finished.

"Yes, I think I can do that." Isabelle suddenly looked quizzically at Ann. "Has anyone ever called you Annie?" Ann suddenly looked at the ground.

"One person, but he's dead now. I do not want anyone to call me that ever again. Others have tried, but have wound up with cuts and bruises and a couple black eyes." Ann looked severe. "That name no longer exists for me. I will never allow anyone to come that close to me ever again. Never, ever." Tears welled up once more in the mysterious girl's eyes.

"Ann, what does your name mean? I know it must mean something, or else you would not have chosen it." Isabelle tried to smile cheerfully. She made a mental note to tell Master Andrew to never call their new guest Annie.

"Oh, that? I don't mind telling you that." She smiled her one and only smile. "Anrui mean 'silent tears' and Lethenanashi means 'death without a name.' I chose that name because I thought it suited me. I always have silent tears because if I cry out loud people will think I am weak. It also symbolizes that my heart is always crying. Just crying. Lethenanashi was chosen because I will die someday without a name. I know my real name, but until someone else does it is not really my name thus I am nameless. There, that's my reasoning. Oh! Lethenanashi also means something else! It means that there is no name for how I will die. No one is able to name how to kill me so Lethenanashi is perfect!" Ann finished dressing just as the clock chimed six. "Well, should we go and eat?"

"I think that would be appropriate." Isabelle laughed.

After the two girls descended the stairs they met up with Andrew, who had been waiting for them.

"Well, you truly look wonderful, miss." He bowed politely and Ann realized that he did not yet know her name.

"Oh, my! You must find me extraordinarily rude! My name is Anrui Lethenanashi." She put out her hand but Andrew looked gently up at her.

"Why such a sad name?" He asked gently.

"You know what it means?" Ann asked in shock.

"Yes, I do. I am Japanese, thus I can speak the language. My mother taught me." Concern was written all over his face. But it vanished as he smiled another one of his untainted smiles at her. "May I call you Ann?"

"I was just going to suggest that very thing." Ann smiled, once again, sadly up at him for he was about three inches taller than she.

"Well, Ann, we should head into the dining room for supper." He held out his arm and she took it, feeling under dressed for an occasion in which the man offered his arm.

When Ann entered the dining room, trays were already situated at the table and men in suits were bringing more in.

"Are you expecting company?" Ann laughed. "Or can you really eat all of this by yourself?"

"No, I can't. But, I didn't know what you liked so I had them make a little of everything. Don't worry, whatever we don't eat is sent into town so that the people living on the streets get a good hot meal." He tapped her arm and pretended as though he were telling her a very personal secret. "Sometimes, when most of the food is eaten, we prepare a special meal just for them. We always make it better than anything we would ever normally eat. And I do mean we. I help when we decide to make an extra meal. I love to cook and I am a very good chef if I do say so myself." He said pointedly.

Ann laughed. "Maybe I can help sometime, with the cooking I mean. Last time I tried so cook something I blew up a burner and we wound up with instant noodles all over the place. I'm better with mixing chemicals." She laughed harder.

"Well, then stay out of my kitchen, my dear." A man in a very nice black suit said cheerily. "I am Louis, the head chef. I just decided to clarify what the young Master said about himself. He is a very good chef if I say so. And my opinion counts for quite a bit." They all laughed. "Master Yuy and Mistress Lournevier will be here in ten days so I must not let you blow anything up until then." They laughed again. "Well, I do hope that you enjoy the meal. I think you will, though." He winked.

"I'm sure I will." Ann laughed. Andrew took hold of her arm and led her to her seat at the enormous cedar table.

"First course please." Andrew laughed as eight trays were uncovered and Ann's eyes almost popped out.

"I don't quite think that I can eat all of that." She stammered. "Although, it does look very tasty. I think that I may like living here." She laughed, as she tasted one of the two salads that had been placed before her. "I'm not a vegetarian, you know."

"Well then, how about steak? Or is that too raw for your likings?" Andrew snapped and another platter was placed before her. Ann sampled it and smiled.

"See, now that's more to my liking!" Ann giggled. "I love meat, mainly ham and bacon. 'Cuz they're cheapest and I couldn't really afford anything more before this."

"Well, do you like any nationality of food, my dear?" Louis asked.

"Asian. Mainly Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Those are all very, very good and much to my liking. I know how to cook wonderful Japanese dishes, but nothing else."

Andrew laughed. "Well then, you'll have to prepare diner sometime so we can see how wonderful these dishes really are."

"All right, but I have to warn you that I'll made your kitchen into a natural disaster area." She laughed. "That's just how I cook. I like to experiment and to do so you need a little bit of everything out."

"I'll have Louis help you find the things you need so that you don't completely destroy my kitchen." Andrew laughed harder than Ann was because of a funny little thing that had just occurred to him. "If you took out a little bit of all the foods we have in this house, you would need four kitchens just to look at all of it to decide what it is that you want to use!" He laughed even harder when Ann almost choked on a piece of her steak because of laughing so hard.

"I think that we need to finish trying out this food now, before it gets cold." Ann choked out.

"I agree." Andrew added, calming down a bit.

After Ann had tried out all, and I mean all, of the foods that had been prepared, the cooks had a pretty good idea of what she liked. They decided to review this list to Ann and Andrew.

"Well, you don't like salads and you love pretty much all meats, you love Asian food and would never eat liver, all in all you're not very picky so we should have no trouble coming up with a meal every day that will suit you. Of course, there are three meals a day. Each at precisely eight o'clock, twelve o'clock and six o'clock respectively. Isabelle will review the schedule for you I she hasn't done so already." Louis said politely as Isabelle walked through.

"Of course I have not had the time! She doesn't know anything of our household schedule and I must say that she is doing fine! Her manners are very good, too." Isabelle said indignantly. "Now, Louie, go and do the dishes!" She shooed him away and grabbed Ann before she could wander off. "You need to take a shower and then get ready for bed. It is almost ten o'clock! Master Yuy said that Master Andrew has to be in bed every night at ten o'clock so I will treat you no differently. Come along!"

Andrew laughed. "She gets rather uptight about bedtimes. She likes to keep things on a tight schedule."

"I noticed." Ann murmured as Isabelle dragged her off to take a shower. She was halfway to the bathroom when a thought occurred to her. "Wasn't the doctor supposed to arrive at eight?"

"He did. You and Master Andrew seem to be having a good time so I dismissed him and he will be back tomorrow at eleven." Isabelle pulled a nightgown out of one of the hardwood dressers. It was absolutely beautiful. It was white and looked as though it was silk and it too laced up in the front.

"Andrew's mother must have had close to the same taste in clothing as me. All of the things you have shown me lace up in the front. I love clothing that do that."

"Yes, she does love strange things like that. As do you, I suppose. Well, your shower is ready and I think you can dress yourself this time. Goodnight, Ann." Isabelle smiled and left the room so that Ann could take her shower in peace."

As Ann entered the shower she realized that none of these people knew very much about her. They were complete strangers to her also. Sure, she knew some background information about them, like she knew who Andrew's family members were, but nothing else. As she thought about it, no one really knew very much about her. The only people who really knew her only thought about the fact that she was so-called immortal. They didn't care about her. But, for someone who hardly knew her, Andrew seemed to care so deeply for her. He was so kind and she had yet to do anything in return for his kindness. She would, she vowed to herself. She would do something for him. Something that he would never forget. So even if she died, he would remember her. "Andrew, I will do something for you. Something very unforgettable. Very, very unforgettable." She closed her eyes and let the water rinse away her conditioner. Once it was gone, she stepped out and got her towel. After she was convinced that she was dry enough she put on the beautiful nightgown that seemed almost too beautiful to wear. Too beautiful, at least, to be on someone like her. Ann knew, deep down, that if her parents were still alive she would have been pampered like this her entire life. She sighed, she had yet to call into the bank and claim the money that rightfully belonged to her. She knew that once she did the media would be all over it, she would have to get a blood sample that proved it was hers, and even Andrew would believe that she was immortal. She felt yet another tear threaten to fall down her cheek. Once she had the nightgown on, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a porcelain doll, a rich porcelain doll. A doll as rich as it was meant to be. She really was that rich. Anrui Lethenanashi was just as rich as the son of the leader of the colonies. She looked harder at her reflection. Long, black hair fell perfectly on either side of her and her beautiful blue eyes shone. But, they were not happy eyes, not the eyes of a girl who had been pampered all her life. No, these were the eyes of a girl who had been neglected and tread upon all her life. A girl who had not been able to retain her innocence. She was fifteen and already had lived a harder life than most starving forty-year-olds. She suddenly heard footsteps in the hall.

"I think I have figured out why your smile always looks so sad, no matter how much you laugh. It's your eyes. They are so sullen and confused. They look as though they no longer have a reason to shine. I can't allow that. I want your eyes to shine. You deserve to be happy just as much as the next girl. You are truly very beautiful, but you obviously don't see yourself that way. You should never deny who you really are. I know that Anrui Lethenanashi is not your real name, and, if I wanted to I could find out who you really are. But, I trust you, and I trust that if you ever decide to tell me it will only be when you are ready. I can tell that you are not who think you are. I know you believe yourself to be inferior because of something that has happened to you in the past, but you are a truly wonderful person. I can see it in the back of your eyes, hidden from the light of the world. That seems to be a talent of mine. I can always see the good in things. I have never once came across a creature that had no good in it whatsoever." Andrew's reflection appeared beside her own in the mirror. He lightly brushed away the tear that had appeared in the corner of her eye.

"I truly do want you to be happy, Ann. I want you to be as happy as you were meant to be, and don't go telling me that you don't deserve to be happy at all in your life. Everyone deserves happiness some just don't deserve much. You are not one of those people though, Ann." He smiled lightly. "Did you know that Isabelle warned me to never call you Annie? Would you mind at all telling me why?" He wrapped his arms lightly around her waist from behind so that only his head was visible over her shoulder. He leaned his head on the aforementioned shoulder.

"Not at all, Andrew." Ann smiled her sad smile. "Once, two years ago, I met a young man. His name was Christopher. He never told me his last name, and I never told him mine. He was a wonderful person, he taught me how to cook certain Japanese dishes. Needless to say, I fell in love with him. Even though I was only thirteen, he was as well. We both decided that we would be together as long as we both were alive. We kept that promise. Christopher died in an air raid in Brussels, where we lived at the time. He always called me Annie. He thought Anrui was too sad and Ann was too plain. He said that Annie was just perfect for me. We only were able to spent three months together. I vowed after he died to never fall in love again, but when I realized that would only ruin my own life, I changed it. I will never allow anyone but the man I marry to call me Annie. Never." Andrew once again brushed away a tear that threatened to fall.

"I should not have brought it up." Andrew apologized quickly. "It has obviously upset you."

"No, I needed to remember. I had practically shut it out of my mind. Some things deserve to be remembered and cried over. Some things deserve that recognition. This is one of those things." Andrew turned her around and hugged her close to him.

"I am sorry though. It seems I have made you cry." Andrew rubbed her back lightly as Ann cried lightly into his shoulder.

"No, I have made myself cry. I have just realized how utterly stupid that vow was. It doesn't help me to remember him; it helps me to push him out of my mind. I should take back my vow, but that would be very difficult. But, I have come to a decision. Christopher would not want me to be sad over his death, he would want me to smile and go on with my life. Though, his death is not what makes my eyes so sad. That I shall be reluctant to tell you. If I ever do. You must forgive me, this all probably sounds very conceited. I really am sorry if I have offended you in any way." Ann wrapped her arms around Andrew's back and laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"You have had to grow up too quickly, Ann. Let me help you return your innocence?" He asked her lightly.

"Yes, you may help. I want you to, in fact. I must also do something for you, but I have yet to find something about you that is flawed, so I cannot help you with that." She smiled sadly, still so sad.

"No, I have as many design errors as you. Well, almost." They both smiled. "All you have to do is stay here as long as you possibly can. That will be enough for me."

"Yes, but that will help me as well, so I will still be indebted to you. I don't like owing anyone anything."

"I figured as much. I guess you just don't want any reason to feel remorseful when you have to leave. I understand perfectly."

"No, Andrew, that is not it!" Ann punched him playfully, forgetting her own strength and laughing when he winced. "I just want to repay you! I will find someway to do so! So there! It will be something that you will never forget for as long as you live." She leaned back into his embrace.

"All right. I wait for your gift, Ann." He rested his cheek on top of her head.

"Until then, I have decided to break my rule. Even though I doubt that I will marry you, you may call me Annie." She smiled, her eyes, somehow brighter, making her smile seem not so sad anymore. They just stood like that until the moment that Ann fell asleep, still in the arms of her new best friend. A friend that would never desert her. For better or for worse.


	3. Chapter Three

When Ann awoke, she found herself tucked in bed. She didn't remember doing so and jumped a little. She had forgotten where she was. Suddenly, Isabelle walked around the corner.

"Time to get up, Ann." She put some clothes down on the bed. Once Ann saw this, she remembered.

"I had almost forgotten I was here." She laughed. Isabelle joined in after a while and the two of them just laughed.

"Master Andrew is waiting for you downstairs, Ann. He wants to take you into the big city to buy some clothing. We already got Master Yuy's approval on the issue. But, we only told him that Master Andrew wanted to go into town nothing about you was mentioned. You are to be a surprise to Master Yuy. I don't think that he'll quite expect Master Andrew to have found a friend who needs to be in secret as much as Master Andrew does. This will give him quite a shock." Isabelle found herself laughing for the second time that morning.

"OK, that sounds wonderful. Thank you, Isabelle. You know, I've always wanted to meet Heero Yuy. I never thought that I would be meeting someone as important as him." She smiled and shook her head in bewilderment. "I really didn't. This is going to be fun, I think." She winked at the maid.

"Yes, Ann, I completely agree. Master Yuy will be very surprised, that is for certain." Isabelle smiled and left so that Ann could get dressed, but she did yell one last thing over her shoulder. "Remember, breakfast is at eight. You need to take a shower and get dressed before you go down to eat."

"OK." Ann wandered into the shower and took a short, hot shower, not really thinking of anything this time. When she was done, she got dressed and headed back towards the bathroom. Ann wanted to do her hair nice for her little shopping spree that was to be this afternoon. She guessed that Andrew had never had to go shopping with a teenage girl before and laughed. Boy would he be surprised! Once she got back into the bathroom, Ann checked the drawers for anything that she could do her hair with. She found two barrettes, four clips, and three elastic hair ties. As she brushed her hair, Ann realized exactly how difficult it would be to get all of her long, thick hair up into a hair tie or barrette. She decided that doing her hair fancy would take too long and was probably a waste of time considering she would be trying on quite a few outfits and her hair would be ruined anyway. She decided to pull it all back into a single braid. She usually braided her hair when she had to go through a training course or something of the like, but this was a special occasion. As she finished braiding her hair, Ann noticed the hairs that didn't quite make it into the braid hanging out around her face. It didn't look very stylish, but it made her look like she hadn't done anything special, which she hadn't. She liked it. Her random hairstyle went perfectly with her outfit. She was wearing a short, black skirt that fanned out as it went down, and it only went down to right above her knees. Her top was one that laced up. It was white and had sleeves that were pretty tight at the top, but fanned out at the bottom. Ann decided that she liked this particular outfit and would base all the ones she was going to get off of it.

Once Ann had decided that she had spent enough time in front of the mirror, she decided to head back downstairs. Halfway down the stairs she heard the clock chime eight. She was right on time. Once she reached the dining room she noticed that breakfast was a moderately modest meal here, unlike supper. There was a plate of bacon, one of pancakes, and one of eggs. At her spot there was a glass of milk and one of orange juice, there was a personal syrup dispenser and some butter. She sighed; they even went pretty close to all out at breakfast. She had come to the steadfast decision that these people were going to make her pretty darn fat by the time she had to go.

"Well, there you are!" Andrew exclaimed. "I had thought you had gotten lost and was about to send a search party up to your room." Ann laughed at his strange exclamation.

"No, just finishing up getting ready. This looks delicious." Ann sat down right next to Andrew.

"It is, my dear, it is." Louis walked out. "I taste test everything before I serve it. That way, I know for sure if it will please you all." He bowed politely.

"I'm sure it is. I doubt that you could even bake something that wasn't good." Ann's remark made the good chef blush.

"It's nothing, really. Just the everyday breakfast." Louis was still blushing.

Ann laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you people were trying to fatten me up! I don't quite think that I am edible, dear sirs." Ann said with an air of royalty.

Andrew almost choked due to laughing. "Oh dear, she seems to have found us out." They all laughed. "Well, you really look a little too brawny to eat, so I'll let you live."

"Well, thank you, sir. If you would have tried to eat me I would have kicked and screamed the whole way down."

"That's why you have to cook the meat." Andrew laughed. "Do not worry, Miss Ann, I am not a cannibal. I also have no intention of eating you. You really are quite too brawny." Ann attempted to hmph indignantly, but failed miserably because she was trying not to choke on her food.

"Well, then, monsieur, I should like to take that as a compliment if you would oblige." Ann was attempting to sound like an adult, but due to her horribly loud laughter, was not doing so well.

"Of course, milady. I shall allow you to think as you feel you need to on condition that you allow me to buy you a nice dress this afternoon." Andrew was much better at acting than Ann was because he passed perfectly as a well off man in his later years with some voice changing.

"Sure, why the hell not?" At Ann's rude and blunt comment everyone laughed.

"Well, you sure do know how to get one's attention, don't you?" Andrew laughed.

"Of course! I'm just your average teenage girl, you know!" Ann put her hands on her hips as she stood up. "Well, that was a very good meal. Thank you very much." She stretched out like a cat and yawned loudly.

"Manners are a virtue, my dear girl." Isabelle tapped Ann's arm.

"Gomen nasai, Isabelle." Ann replied, not remembering that Isabelle did not know Japanese. She was rewarded with a very blank look from both Isabelle and Louis. Andrew just laughed.

"That means I'm sorry." Andrew answered for the very confused girl. Ann obviously hadn't noticed that she had been speaking another language.

"Was I just speaking Japanese?" She asked dumbly.

"Why yes you were, Ann." Andrew laughed. "You really mean to say that you didn't notice at all?"

"Nope, not at all. I do that every once in a while." Ann warned them. "You're lucky you have Andrew to translate for you. I certainly don't notice that I'm doing it. I also blurt out in French and German, but not as often." She shrugged. "Usually Japanese."

"We'll have to remember that, then." Andrew stood up and wiped his mouth of a napkin one last time. "Well, shall we go? Michael is waiting with the car."

"Sure, why not?" Ann shrugged and followed him.

"I'm also coming along." Isabelle said as she followed them.

"Cool." Ann answered politely. As they reached the front porch, Ann noticed that they weren't using Andrew's Limousine. "What happed to your limo, or do you just own numerous cars?"

"I own numerous cars." Andrew laughed. "I thought that it would be less conspicuous if we used this car. That's also why I'm wearing jeans and a T- shirt. I find this style very comfortable, but Father says that I have to dress nicely. Wearing suits al the time is very annoying."

"Yeah, I know." Ann replied, getting two more blank looks. "What?" She blinked a couple of times. "Am I speaking Japanese again?"

"No." Andrew answered offhandedly. "Why would you have to wear a suit?"

Ann laughed. "Now that is an interesting story. I was on a mission to get some key codes from a politician's home, but he was holding a party. An all male party. So, I had to wear a suit and tie and I had to pull all off my hair up into a blonde wig. That was a chore. Well, the party lasted longer than we thought it would, and there were usually people in the computer room, so I had to hang around in a suit for seven and a half hours."

"The party lasted seven and a half hours?" Andrew asked, astonished.

"No, I got there about halfway through. I'd say it lasted about fifteen hours." She seemed to be doing some math in her head. "Yeah, that sounds abut right. From six in the morning until nine at night."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't do it. I can't stand these damn suits my father orders for me." He shuddered. "There just so uncomfortable. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, I agree completely. Definitely uncomfortable. But at least you don't have a bust that needed to be taped down in order for you to look male." Ann smiled weakly.

"But, you always do that." Isabelle said dryly.

"Oh, bite me." Ann glared at her. Isabelle was suddenly shocked. The glare of Anrui Lethenanashi was definitely not something she wanted to witness on a daily basis. It was something of a death glare. *

"Well, Master Andrew, where do you want to go?" Michael asked.

"How about the big mall. I forget the name of it." He snapped a couple of times in thought.

"You mean the L1 Mega Mall?" Ann asked.

"Yeah, that one!" Andrew suddenly exclaimed.

"Cool, I love that mall." Ann smiled, still sadly.

Andrew just sighed at the still sad look in his friend's eyes. He wanted to do something about it so badly. There had to be something he could do?

"We're here." Michael announced fifteen minutes later.

"Great, thank you Michael. I'll call you when it's time to pick us up." Michael indicated his cell phone.

"All right, Master Andrew. Have a nice day." With that, the chauffer drove away, waiting for his Master to call and ask for his assistance once again.

"OK, let's shop!" Ann grabbed Isabelle and Andrew and drug them off into the mall, her two hostages laughing the whole way.

Once they reached the mall, Andrew insisted that they look in every store so Ann could find whatever she thought she liked. Ann agreed with this and they began their search.

The first three stores had nothing that really interested anyone in the party and the fourth, fifth, and sixth stores were electronics stores. Isabelle and Andrew had to drag Ann away from these with Andrew, of course, promising that they could go back and look later if there was time. The seventh store, however, was a hit. Ann found exactly what she had been looking for. Things that laced up.

"Sugoi! I think I've died and gone to heaven, folks. This is my store!" She quickly began rummaging through racks of tops while Andrew and Isabelle looked at skirts and dresses.

"Ann, look at this." Andrew beckoned her over.

"Yeah, what?" Ann soon found out what he meant. On the wall, hanging up so that it didn't wrinkle was the most beautiful dress that she had ever seen. The fact that it laced up only added to her liking. It was a dark blue, the same color as Ann's eyes, and its sleeves did the same as the shirt she was currently wearing. To be completely honest, it looked like something directly out of a Shakespearean play.

"Try it on." Andrew pushed her forward. Ann needed no second bidding as she took it down and hurried into a dressing room. The dress fit perfectly. Ann looked at herself in a mirror and smiled. Her braid looked perfect with the dress. She looked like some sort of tomboy princess in medieval times. The laces went from her waist up to the top, which came to right below her collarbone. The dress just barely covered the ends of her shoulders and went all the way down to her feet. The sleeves weren't poorly put on either. They started fanning out at the elbow just like the shirt she had been wearing, but these were different. On her shirt, she could tell right away where they started to fan because they did it so abruptly and there was a seam tat started the fan. But this dress was different. There was no seam, she knew where they started, but it wasn't visible. It just looked as though the cloth slowly got wider. The fan on her sleeves went below her hands and she liked that. Unlike most of the clothes she wore, which accentuated the fact that she had quite a bit of muscle in her arms, stomach, and legs, this dress did not at all. It made her look very feminine. She liked that; she had never looked feminine before in her life. She just had too much muscle. This dress, however, did make her notice something she never had before and she blushed.

"Oh, my." Ann realized that she had not been lying when she told Isabelle that she had more to hide than she thought. Her, Anrui Lethenanashi, the immortal teen, had a bust. "Damn." She blinked a couple of times. "I actually look female." She suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth when Isabelle replied from outside the dressing room.

"Of course you do! You are female you know." She laughed.

"I know that. I just. really, really look it." Ann replied in astonishment.

"I think that you always look female." Andrew answered.

"Well, pal, that's your subtle opinion. It is, however, not mine." Ann was still staring at herself.

"Just come out already. We want to see how you look." Andrew whined. Ann knew that he probably didn't notice that he was whining, but he most certainly was.

"All right, whiny boy." She replied as she heard and indignant "Hey!" from outside the door.

As Ann stepped out, she heard Isabelle take a deep breath.

"You are right, Ann. You do look surprisingly feminine. Not that you haven't any other time, you just look at lot more feminine than usual." That was the only reply that the genius maid could think of.

"I think that you look wonderful." Andrew answered, looking her up and down. The movement of his eyes made Ann blush. "I think that I shall buy you that dress." He walked up to her and looked at the price tag. "It's less expensive than I thought it would be."

"I'm sure that it's still expensive." Ann muttered.

"You're right, it is. But it's nothing that I cannot afford. It won't even make a scratch in the large amount of money I have." He laughed pleasantly.

"I would help you pay for it, but my money is all locked up in a bank that won't let me near it until it is sure that the money is mine." Ann muttered under her breath. She was shocked when she realized that Andrew had heard her.

"Well, I guess we'll have to do something about that." He smiled happily as he thought of how he would introduce Ann to his parents.

"No, you don't have to do that." Ann replied shakily.

"Nonsense, Ann. Of course I do. Why would a bank have reason to keep your money from you?"

"Because they don't know who I am?"

"Now, why wouldn't you tell a bank who you were?" He suddenly looked puzzled.

"Because they would cause a huge fuss over it. I already told you that I should be dead right now. Naturally, the bank thinks that I am. But, since it was made a law that you cannot cancel one's bank account, even if they are dead, they can't get rid of my money." Ann replied as though this was all a well-known fact.

"Why would it cause I huge fuss? Were you rich?"

"I guess you could say that." Ann muttered as she poked two fingers together repeatedly.

"How rich?"

"As rich as you?" She replied weakly.

"What?!" Andrew practically screeched.

"Shhhh! Don't make such a scene!" Ann quickly poked him.

"Who exactly are you!? My lord! Not many people are allowed to say things like that!" Andrew was still venting his shock.

"I don't feel like telling you right now. But, I can tell you that I am quite rich, but if the media knew I was still alive it would most definitely be bad. Let's just say that my death was famous." She had returned to poking her fingers together.

"How famous?" Andrew glared at her. He wasn't really very frightening.

"Really, really famous?" Ann's eyes suddenly got big. "Don't you dare go looking anything up! I would hate you forever and ever!" She narrowed her eyes and glared for the second time that day.

"No you wouldn't."

"Don't pretend to know me! You don't! Not at all! And if you ever expect to, you'd better not go and do something as foolish as that!"

"Oh, really? What if I did?"

"I'd leave. Then you would be alone. If I left it really wouldn't matter if you told those men that I had been there, they would storm your house and blow everything in sight up just to kill me. I could get away unharmed, I have friends in very high places." She snarled at him, letting her temper get the better of her.

Andrew was just in shock at the change in her. "I'm sorry. I did not know that you were so protective of your past." He muttered as he turned and walked over to a bench to sit down.

"I'm sorry I overreacted." Ann muttered gloomily as she went back into the dressing room to change. After she had, she hung the dress back up.

"Now why would you do that?" Andrew appeared as if out of nowhere behind her.

"So it doesn't get wrinkled?"

"I'm still buying you the dress you know." He smiled and pulled it back down.

"Why? I'm just a rude little bitch." Ann muttered.

"No your not. You're just protective of your identity."

"What if I told you I overreact like that a lot?"

"Then I'll just have to be prepared." He smiled and paid for the dress.

"How much was that thing anyway?" Ann asked as they went back to looking through the normal clothes.

"Does it matter?"

"Hai."

"Why?"

"It just does."

"If you have it in your little mind that you're going to pay me back your dead wrong." He pulled the receipt out of his pocket and dropped it in probably the dirtiest garbage can Ann had ever seen. "If you want to know so badly, check for yourself."

"Did you know that you are a very conniving young man?"

"Yes, very much so."

They walked around the store for about five more minutes, in which time they picked out about twelve more outfits. Ann suddenly stopped short.

"Where's Isabelle?"

"Oh, well damn!" Andrew punched a wall. "I'd almost bet she went off somewhere to order us lunch and we were too busy yelling to notice. That's happened before. Except it was me and my dad arguing. She seems to like ordering lunch by herself, that way I eat proper. I like hamburgers and things like that and she thinks that they're too greasy and will kill me someday." He chuckled as he paid for the clothes. "Let's go to the food court and see if we can spot her."

"Andrew, how are we going to carry all this stuff?"

"Well, you're pretty strong, right?"

"Hai."

"Then we'll carry it." He answered and took half the bags. He motioned for Ann to take the other half and she did. "Let's go."

They walked for about five minutes before they reached the food court, and there, sure enough, was Isabelle.

"Isabelle!" Andrew called over to her. "What are you doing down here?"

"Ordering your food, what else?"

"We are perfectly capable of doing that ourselves." Ann yelled back.

"I only ordered Andrew's and my own food, Ann. You may order your own. Andrew's father made it a priority that he eats right."

"Stupid parents." Andrew muttered under his breath as they caught up with Isabelle.

"All right, I'll go and order my own food." Ann ordered a hamburger and fries, mostly to annoy Isabelle, but partly to make Andrew jealous.

"Oh, you're mean!" Andrew smacked her as she got back to their table.

"Don't worry, you can have some." Isabelle puffed up like an indignant mother hen and sharply relied to that.

"I don't think so! Foods like that are bad for you!" She glared.

"No they're not. Not if you only have them every once in a while." Andrew protested.

"Hah! I've lived off stuff like this and I'm in perfect shape." Ann said defiantly.

"Well, you're abnormal!" Isabelle said, and then quickly clapped her hands over her mouth.

"I know that! But, most teenagers live off things like this. There are still plenty of teenagers left, no?"

Isabelle squirmed nervously. She had been bested by a fifteen-year-old girl.

"Don't worry, no one has every bested me in a battle of words. Hell, no one has ever bested me in a battle of strength either! Or wits, or speed, or-" She was cut off by Andrew.

"I think we get the point."

"OK. Did you want this?" She handed Andrew her hamburger. "I don't normally eat lunch."

"Well, you should eat, but I'd love to have it." They both laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll eat my fries. But if I'm too full to eat much for supper, it's you guys' faults!" She started eating her fries, making sure to lavish them in ketchup and salt, just to annoy Isabelle.

"Oi! Teenagers! Why couldn't God have not made such a thing." Isabelle mumbled gloomily.

"Oh, you know you'd miss us too much!"

"Yes, I suppose my life would be rather dull with out you, I'll admit. But you mustn't eat like this while Master Yuy is around. He'd fire my ass quicker than heck!"

The two teens laughed. "You know what, that's probably the first time I've heard you swear!" Ann exclaimed and patted the maid on her back. "Good job, Isabelle!" Andrew laughed even harder.

Once they had finished their meal, Andrew kept his promise and let Ann check out one of the electronic stores she loved so dearly. She spent the whole time testing out notebooks.

Andrew nudged Isabelle. "Should I get her one to keep her occupied?" He asked softly.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea." Isabelle looked nervously at the girl. "I have the feeling that she might wind up rewiring our house if she can't find something to do." Andrew laughed.

"I bet she would. And I bet that she would do a better job than a professional." He laughed and walked up to Ann.

"So, what's, in your opinion, the best of these strange things?" He asked, not quite sure what they did. Someone of his class never had to use them, only for vidphones.

"Umm." Ann looked over the selection. "This one is the best kind anywhere. It's hard drive is practically infinite and you can buy components that add to it if you run out of space. Which probably wouldn't happen with something like this."

"All right. Would you like me to buy it for you?"

"Ack! If you just go buying me everything I want I'm going to be spoiled rotten!"

"So what? Everyone deserves to be spoiled once in a while."

"Not this much."

"Plus, we don't want you rewiring our house in your spare time." He laughed. "I also think that you deserve a few things. You have practically nothing."

"Correction. I have nothing. Nothing except a huge store of money that I can't get into."

"There you go. You deserve to have a few things. And I am very willing to buy them for you. Remember my goal." Ann smiled. Her smile was sadder than before.

"Well, my friend, you may have chosen an impossible goal." She looked away.

"Well, I'm trying. Let me buy it for you?"

"If that's what you want."

"It is." Andrew replied solemnly.

"OK. But, if I'm up typing into all hours of the night, it'll be your fault."

"Fine by me. At least you will be entertained."

"Again, I thank you for caring." Andrew smiled at her, another of his bright smiles.

"No problem." He patted her hand. "Why don't you grab it and I'll call Michael. Then I can pay for it."

"OK. That sounds good." She picked up the notebook and carried over to the counter where the clerk began to ring it up and tell her about the warranty. Meanwhile, Andrew called Michael.

"Michael? Can you pick us up at the South exit? Thank you very much, Michael." He then went over and paid for the notebook. "I hope you like it, Ann."

"Trust me, I do. I'll fill it up with tons of things. Things that tell about myself, things that tell about everything that has happened to me, and things for my future children. Like the number on my bank account. So, don't you dare go looking on it." She glanced at him.

"I won't, not unless you give me permission." He smiled and reached down to hold her hand. A gesture that made Ann blush.

"Come on, we don't want to keep Michael waiting." She whispered.

"All right." He let go of her hand so that they could carry all of their purchases out of the building into the car that was waiting outside.

"Thank you, Michael."

"No problem, Master Andrew. It was my pleasure." Michael replied as he helped to load all of the clothes into the trunk. Ann had insisted that she got t carry her new computer. She was like a child who had just gotten a brand new stuffed bear and wanted to play with it right away.

"My father will arrive on next Saturday, Ann. I'm sure that he will like you."

"I sure hope so, I really do." Ann replied as she looked out the window of the car. "I sure hope so."


	4. Chapter Four

As Ann and her new-found "family" entered the house, they decided to put away all of Ann's clothing before they got started with something else and forgot to do it completely. Then they'd have to go through the whole process later that night. That thought didn't sound too appealing to any of its listeners.

"Well, I hope you like your clothing, Ann." Andrew laughed as they unloaded and hung up the masses of it.

"Yup. It's great, thanks. Once we get done, is it OK if I set up my computer?" Ann asked politely, but with a whining tone.

Andrew laughed once more. "Of course, Ann." He came upon the dress. "Hmm, where should we put this?"

"How about in its own little corner in the closet. Wait a minute, when will I actually wear it?" Ann's question received a long, tense silence.

"Well, my parents go to quite a few parties, but you are right, I don't know when you'll actually have to wear it." Andrew sat down, still holding the dress. "I suppose you could wear it when my parents arrive, it would make you look civil. But, they might think that you were trying to hard to impress them and get the idea that you're just here because I'm rich. Though, that is obviously not the case. Well, it may be part of it, but that's doubtful."

"I think that I will wear it for your parents. If they come to the conclusion that I'm just here because you're rich, I will tell them that is not so and give reasoning behind it. I think that the dress is beautiful and I love it. I think that it suits me quite well." Ann nodded defiantly. "If you're parents still don't like me, so be it. I cannot control their reaction to someone like me. But you are right; it will make me look civil. So will the rest of the outfits you bought me."

"Then it's settled, you'll wear the dress for my parents in order for them to get the false impression that you're civil." Andrew put his pointer finger up as though he were making a scientific discovery.

"Right, they'll. Hey! Wait a minute you little. annoying. uh, person!" Andrew ran off down the hall, as they were done hanging things up. "Get over here! I'll show you how civilized I am!" Ann ran after him waving her fist. "Come back here and face me like a man! Chicken! Baka! Andrew!"

"Oh dear, those two! They will make quite a pair. And lucky me-I have to live with them!" Isabelle shook her head and shut the closet door. She then took out Ann's new notebook and placed it on the desk next to the bed. "She'll work on it later, I guess."

Ann chased Andrew around the house for about forty minutes, when he collapsed laughing on a sofa.

"All right, all right, I give up! You win. Though, it's not very civilized to chase your host around the house." He grinned evilly.

"And you're thinking I care? Who said you're my host? You're my landlord now! Fwhahaha!!!" They both laughed at Ann's presumption and her fake laugh.

"Oh, really? I thought I was your friend."

"That, too."

"Why don't I pretend you're my sister so that I can drive you completely insane?"

"Fine by me, but that would make you my brother, so I am allowed to drive you equally insane!"

"Deal." They shook on it.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Me, too." "When were you born? I mean, when's your birthday?"

"August 8, 155."

"April 10, 155."

"Damn!"

"Ha! I'm older than you!"

"Fine then, now I get to call you Oniisan!"

"That would make you Imouto!"

"Oi, baka!"

"Iie, Imouto. Anata no baka!"

"Shimatta."

"Tsk, tsk. Bad Imouto."

"Tsk, tsk to you too, Oniisan!"

"Great, now we get to confuse Isabelle even more!"

"You're actually happy about his!? She's your maid!"

"Yours, too, Imouto."

"Sure, sure. Well, I should probably set up my computer now. I have quite a few things that I'd like to put on it."

"OK. See you at supper."

"Yup."

With that, Ann walked up to her room and left Andrew to contemplate what exactly had just happened.

"Once to her room, Ann found the notebook on the table and opened it. Isabelle had already plugged it in to the Internet and a permanent power source. The set-up screen flashed on almost immediately. Fast, Ann thought, I think I'm gonna like this thing. She started the set-up of her brand new computer. *

Users: Anrui Lethenanashi Password: ******* *empty* *empty* *empty*

Programs: Word-loaded TextMate-loaded Soryu 0.7-loaded Ortel-loaded Lazerlight Uplink-loaded

Free Program Space: 99.7% Free

Extra Systems Loaded: 2 named, 78 unnamed

User Files: *empty*

Free Computer Space: 99.87946%

"Done with the set-up process." Ann mumbled and logged on. "I think I need to add a few more programs, but I'll work with what I have for now. Can't bog Andrew down with needs, now can I?" She laughed. "That wouldn't be very nice." Ann looked at the pitifully empty screen. "Definitely in need of more systems." She clicked on "start" and located "Word". Once the screen came on, she began to type. This was her new diary.

Ann typed for about four hours, adding file after file to her notebooks database. She removed herself only when she heard the clock chime six.

"Well, I was wondering if you were still alive up there, Imouto." Andrew laughed as she came down the stairs.

"Yeah, I was typing. I think I need some more programs." She slumped down in the chair. "Oi, I need a nap."

"Well, Ann, you can take one after you have your nightly shower." Isabelle smiled politely. "Maybe you should just go to bed, then."

"I think I will. A good shower'll put me right to sleep. 'Specially a hot one!" Ann yawned. "Gomen. I know it's not very polite to yawn at the dinner table."

"Well, you need to be rested when Master Yuy and Mistress Lournevier are here. They don't like bad manners. The Mistress particularly." Isabelle wagged her finger potently.

"Will do." Ann gave her the thumbs up. After dinner, Ann went upstairs, took a shower, put on another beautiful nightgown and went straight to bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Things continued in a normal pattern for the rest of the week. But there was quite a bit of stress in the air on the day of Andrew's parents' arrival. Ann woke up late, Andrew spilled juice on his suit and Isabelle was forced to run all over the place helping everyone. Master Yuy and Mistress Lournevier were due to arrive at 2:30 and it was currently noon. They were just done eating lunch.

"Isabelle, help!" Ann shrieked from her room. "I just can't get this damn dress straight! Ooh!"

"Coming, Ann!"

"Isabelle! Is the soup ready yet?"

"Yes, Master Andrew!"

"Isabelle! I need your help in the kitchen!"

"All right, Louis, I'll be there as soon as I help Ann!"

"I need your help now!"

"All right, as long as it will only take a minute!"

"I need you to test this pie!"

"Coming!"

"Isabelle! Help!"

"Hold on for a minute!"

"I can't stand in this position much longer!"

"Isabelle! Are the placemats out?"

"Yes, Master Andrew!"

"Isabelle, test this!"

"Coming!"

"Isabelle, help!"

"Coming!"

"Isabelle! We need the purple napkins!"

"OK!"

"Isabelle!"

"Isabelle!"

"Isabelle!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Isabelle finally screamed. "I give up! If you're trying to confuse the shit out of me, it worked!"

"Oops, sorry!"

"My apologies!"

"Gomen nasai!"

"Fine." Isabelle slumped down on a couch.

"I'm sure we can decorate after the food's ready." Andrew walked in and sat next to her.

"You can test the food later, as well. We'll just test it all at once." Louis joined them.

"Uh, sorry to ruin the mood, but I'm stuck! I'm not walking down there half naked! Somebody! Anybody! Wait, I take that back! Anybody female!" Ann shrieked from upstairs.

Andrew, Louis, and Isabelle laughed. "Comin' Ann!"

When Isabelle found the girl she almost exploded from laughter. "My dear lord! How did you wind up like this?"

"I don't know!" Ann had wound up upside down, hanging from her bed, wrapped tightly in the sleeves and skirt of her dress. "I don't want to either!"

"Well, here. I believe you need more help than anyone!" Isabelle tried, and failed, to contain her laughter. Once Ann was straightened out, Isabelle helped her with the dress and her hair. The hair thing wasn't going so well.

"Oh, hold still, Ann!" Isabelle tried to steady the girl.

"Itai! Is it supposed to hurt that badly?" Ann yelped.

"No! An it wouldn't hurt if you stood still!"

"I can't help it! I'm nervous!"

"I would be too, but I've met Master Yuy before. Trust me, he's a nice man. You have no need to be afraid of him."

"You're probably right, Isabelle. I'll try to calm down, it'll be difficult though." Ann winced.

"Good, that way you won't be bald by the time he gets here." They both laughed. A well needed stress relief.

Once they were done with Ann's hair and makeup, which had also been a disaster, it was ten past two.

"Oh, dear." Isabelle mused. "I've only got twenty minutes to test the food and then set up." She bolted down the stairs and hurriedly tested all of the foods they were going to serve to their guests. Once she had given everything the A-OK, Isabelle quickly put out the dishes of food and the spices to go with them, when she was done it was exactly two-thirty. "Looks like we made it just in time." Isabelle sighed.

"Barely." Louis pulled a curtain aside and pointed out the limousine in the driveway.

"Geez!" Ann shrieked. "That's one huge car! It's bigger'n yours Andrew!"

Andrew laughed. "Of course it is. That's my father's car. It's bound to be bigger'n mine, Imouto."

"Well then, Oniisan, it looks like you aren't the richest one here." Ann stuck her nose up in the air in mock snobbery.

"Iie that would be you, Imouto." Andrew laughed at Ann's indignant features after his remark.

"There at the door!" Isabelle shrieked as the doorbell rang. "Though why they ring the bell is beyond me!"

"Oh, Oniisan! Are they going to hate me?" Ann's panic was manifested on her face.

"No, no. They'll love you! You're a great person! Just don't tell them you're rich and famous. They'll figure out who you are. They both know everything that's happened in the past eighty years!"

"Great!" Ann slumped down in a chair. "Then they'll recognize me for God's sake!"

Andrew turned to look at her. "Why?"

"Because I look exactly like my mother!" She almost started crying.

"How have you been, Mistress?" Isabelle's remark cut everyone short and Ann bolted to her feet.

"Just fine, thank you Isabelle." A very refined voice answered.

"And you Master?"

"Wonderful! But I'll be better if I can find Andrew!" He laughed and Ann gulped.

Isabelle smartly remarked on the situation. "Hmm, we have a nice little surprise for you, Master Yuy. I think you will enjoy it!"

"Oh, really?" They turned around the corner and Ann was the first thing Andrew's father saw. "Is she it?"

"Ahh, yes sir!" Isabelle blushed. Ann had turned her eyes, and her face, to the floor. "Look up and intro duce yourself, dear." Isabelle sounded older than she really was.

Ann looked up, hoping they wouldn't recognize her. "I am Anrui Lethenanashi, it's a pleaser to meet you both." She smiled widely, sadly, and much too unconvincingly.

"Ann?!" The two newcomers practically shouted at the same time. So much for not recognizing her.


	5. Chapter Five

Ann winced and looked directly at Andrew's parents. She had expected them to recognize her by her face, but not by her name! "Yes?" She asked shakily.

"What are you doing here?" Mistress Lournevier practically screamed. "You vanished!"

"Heh, strange twist of fate?" Ann scratched the back of her head.

"Sora, calm down." Yuy said lightly.

"How can I do that!? Ann vanishes twelve years ago, taken for dead, and now she shows up here!" She ranted. "How am I supposed to calm down?!"

"If you don't mind my asking, how do you know me?" Ann scratched her head.

Sora had completely ignored her. "Why didn't you at least give us a sign that you were still alive?"

"Umm. I was only three?" Ann had started backing away. "How do you know me?"

"How do I know you?! What a preposterous statement! How could I not know you?!" Sora had definitely spazzed.

"I don't know. I thought you might recognize my face, but I never thought that you would recognize it by name!"

"Well, tough! I did! How did you live?" Sora was pretty much freaking out.

"I don't know."

"Where have you been?"

"Here and there."

"Why didn't you contact someone?"

"I don't know." Andrew was the only one who had noticed that Ann was slowly moving towards the door."

"Oh, no you don't!" He walked up behind her and led her back into the room.

"Why not?" She said in nervous laughter.

"Because. I want to know how mother knows you, as well." He turned his attention to his mother. "How do you know Ann?"

"She's Aki's daughter!" She pointed a finger at Ann.

"What!?" Andrew got close to hysterical as well.

"Oh, dear. It seems that you do know who I am. In that case, I must leave here ASAP." Ann nodded her head. "Sayonara." With that she turned and ran straight out the door. Luckily her dress was not a tight one.

"Oh, go get her!" Andrew yelled at his parents. "It's your fault she ran off!"

"All right, Andrew." Yuy answered. "Come along, Sora."

"Right, we are terribly sorry, Andrew honey. I didn't think she'd do that. I'm just surprised she's still alive. If you had been able to remember the explosion, you'd be in wonder just as much as I am."

"Just find her."

Meanwhile Ann was running through the forest in the general direction of the base she had last been at. "Why me?" She murmured gently. There were still marks of death and destruction. No one had cleaned up a bit. Not the police, no one. Though, that was not surprising. They never even knew about the base. "What a waste of life." She murmured once more.

"Ann!" A voice yelled. After his parents had taken off on the road, Andrew had realized that she probably wouldn't take it. He headed off in the forest's direction.

Ann didn't exactly want to be caught so she headed into the ruins of the base to wait for him to head elsewhere. But, much to her sorrow, once her noticed the former base, Andrew decided to search the inside of it. Ann found herself wandering around inside, trying to escape his glance. As she was walking, Ann came to something she was surprised to see in tact: her room! She decided to risk being caught and wandered inside. Her bed had obviously been burnt up, but everything inside the closet was still intact. Ann opened one of the large metal doors to the closet. The duffel she had come with was still in tact, so was everything inside.

"My god." She murmured as she found all of her things in the same condition she had left them in.

Andrew found a slightly different place. He wound up in the old control room and the only thing he noticed was the bloodstain. He had already come to the conclusion that this was where Ann had come from. There were just so many things that implemented that theory. First off, the computer was still in tact and he found Ann's file easily. The picture was not of the girl he knew, but another. Of course it was Ann, but she just looked so different. She was wearing a tank top that showed off how many muscles she had to the exact point; she also had an extremely grim expression on her face. And, in this picture, she was about three or four years younger!

Andrew had been making no noise, so he heard, just barely, the mutter Ann had made. Her bedroom was directly below the control room. Andrew looked around the room hurriedly and eventually found a blank diskette that had not been completely melted. He quickly downloaded all the files on the computer. Well, I guess you couldn't say quickly, because it took him five and a half minutes, a short time if you consider the amount of files he downloaded. Once they were done downloading, he went to where he had heard the noise. He wandered around until he found a way down that could still be used. Most of the bombs had been on the other, larger side of the building so the side Ann and Andrew were on was still about three stories high; one floor had been demolished. Andrew found a way towards the noise easily and shockingly, found Ann still there. She was sitting on the floor digging through a bag that was still in tact. It was a small purple duffel. Ann had a tear on her cheek as she pulled a certain object out. It was a photo album! She opened it slowly and looked at what it contained. The things inside were priceless. She almost jumped as Andrew put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting fashion.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him quietly.

"Looking for you. I was upstairs and I heard something down here, so I came to check it out." He smiled gently. "Was this where you were before you wandered into my estate?"

"Yes, this and many other places. It was me that destroyed the building." She added the last bit reluctantly.

"I see. Would you please some back with me?" His eyes pleaded with her silently.

"Hai." Ann smiled. It was still the same old sad smile. "These were my things." She motioned to the bag. "And this was my room." She motioned to their surroundings. "I'm surprised it's still in tact."

"So was the computer up stairs." Andrew pointed up.

"Huh, I should go and check that out."

"No need, I downloaded all of the data still existing on it to this diskette." He showed her the disk. "Let's hope that you're enemies did not get their first."

"Oh, I bet they were too busy searching for me to check if the computer still worked." Ann shrugged. "I should probably go and blow it up though."

"Doesn't it just work to delete all the files?"

"Nope. They can be recovered. Trust me, I've gotten tons of valuable information that way."

"Oh, I hate blowing things up. It's just so violent."

"Then wait outside."

"No, I'd like to watch this."

"Sure."

They headed back up to the control room, Ann having to lift up her dress over some of the debris. Andrew laughed suddenly.

"You look real dangerous. Wearing that dress and all."

"You aren't very creepy either." They both laughed. "Though, I hate to think of ruining this pretty dress. Though, I think I probably already have."

Once they reached the control room, Ann looked around for explosives. "Huh, looks like I'll have to do this the hard way then." She reached over and pulled the bottom of the control panel off. With that she lay down on her back and started rewiring things. "That should do it." She stood up and pressed a button on the keyboard, causing all of the computers to blow up. Andrew was blown off his feet in the aftermath.

"You OK?" Ann asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He picked himself up. "How did you remain standing?"

"Oh, I'm used to stuff like that." She shrugged. "Hmm. I didn't even rip the dress." She looked down at the almost clean dress. "Let's head back to your house. I guess it's OK if your parents know who I am. I don't really have a problem with that. Just as long as they don't go spreading that fact."

"OK, I'll tell them that." Andrew helped Ann back down the stairs so she would ruin her dress.

Once back at the house, they were informed that Andrew's parents hadn't returned yet. They sat down to wait. About a half an hour later, they heard the two walk in. Ann was seated in a chair that was facing away, thus they could not see her. They looked at Andrew with remorse.

"We're very sorry, we couldn't find your friend." Yuy said sadly.

"Who me?" Ann asked, standing up. She had changed out of her dress and put on one of the other outfits Andrew had bought for her.

"But, how?" Sora's jaw dropped.

"Andrew found me." She smiled politely. "My dress got dirty so I changed."

"Where were you?"

"I just went back to the base that I had run away from. Of course, there wasn't really all that much left of it. I only took my stuff." She was still smiling.

"What do you mean, 'base'?" Sora asked.

"Well, just as you are surprised I lived, so are the few other people who knew I survived an explosion. Nobody really knows my name. I just go by Anrui Lethenanashi." She looked thoughtful. "Most of those people have their own theory on how I was able to survive." Ann laughed. "They think that I am immortal!" She tried, in vain, to stifle her laughter.

"Why were you at a base?"

"They were just another group of militants that thought my power would be useful to them. Morons." She laughed dryly. "They're all dead now, though." She sat back sown as Andrew's parents did the same.

"How can you be so casual about it?" Yuy asked in horror.

"Because, I've just seen it too many times to really be affected anymore. I had to detonate the base because we were invaded. Our invaders were, of course, after me. But, somehow they know who I am, and they also know I'm not immortal. The little immortal piece is really quite helpful. It makes the people who are most likely to kill me, afraid of me." She laughed again. "Everyone working at the base was already dead by the time I detonated." She shrugged. "I just detonated so that I personally would not be captured or killed. Don't really know which one would be worse. They're equal." She smiled. "Well, that's my story, now tell me how you know me."

"Well, your mother was my best friend. I'm your Godmother." Sora smiled. "I was very sad when I heard about the explosion. You look just like your mother, do you know that?"

"Hai." Ann smiled sadly. "I have photographs of her and the rest of my family."

"Really." Sora smiled. "May I see them?"

"Sure!" Ann ran up the stairs, grabbed her duffel and ran back down. Once she got back to the living room, she noticed Andrew had taken her seat and was snickering. "Well then, Mister Yuy, I would appreciate it if you would get out of my seat." She said with her nose up in the air.

"What if I don't?"

"Then I will just have to sit on you." They both laughed.

"Be my guest. I dare you to."

"What, did you think I was kidding?" Ann muttered as Andrew squirmed under her.

"Yes." He said huffily.

"Too bad for you! I wasn't! So now you just have to put up with it." She stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, just show mum the pictures quickly so my lungs can move again, ye great fat lump!"

"All right, now you're gonna get it!" She turned around and began to tickle him.

"Iie! Ann, stop it!" He forced out between bouts of laughter.

"Not until you take that back, Mr. Yuy."

"OK, you're not fat, you're not fat!" He laughed as she tickled him mirthlessly.

"Good." She turned back around and pulled out the photo album from her bag. "Here." She handed it to Sora, who was laughing furiously at the two's antics.

"It seems as though you two are great friends." She laughed.

"Sure." Ann shrugged. "I guess we are, right Oniisan?"

"Yup!" He tickled her back.

"Ack!!" Ann burst out laughing. "Knock it off! Niisan!"

"Nope! You tortured me, I torture you!" They laughed even louder.

"My turn!" Ann laughed and tickled him back, but, just as she was doing so, Andrew lost his seat in the chair and they both wound up in a heap on the floor. "Ack!" Ann had wound as the cushion for Andrew's fall.

"Now who's the great lard?" She laughed.

"That would still be you, my dear." Andrew answered with false regality.

"Uh-uh! Now it's you! I'd almost bet that you weigh more than me!" She poked him in the ribs.

"Nope. I'm sure you're bigger." He laughed.

Andrew's parents just stared at them. "I think they've lost it." Sora murmured.

"Surely." Yuy replied.

"We have not!" They replied in unison.

"Oh, yes you have." Sora waved her finger at them. "In my day, if children behaved the way you two are, they were punished severely and never to see each other again."

"How old are you?" Andrew asked with a grin.

"I'm thirty-five years older than yourself." She grinned. "Do the math."

"Wow, you're fifty!" Ann laughed.

"Uhh. You know, I almost forgot I was." Sora scratched her head.

"Well, you don't look it. That's for sure." Yuy grinned.

"Well, now! Mister Yuy, am I going to have to detain you?" Sora replied calmly.

"I sure hope not!" Andrew laughed. "You might give Ann a show."

"Hmm. That sounds interesting. Give me the show!"

They all laughed. The joking continued on for the rest of the day, along with nice reviews of what everyone, except Ann, had been doing. By the time ten rolled around, everyone was bushed. Everyone except Miss Lethenanashi. She decided to go up to her room and type. So far, she had added three hundred eight new files to the computer. This was in less than one week. Many new programs, and many new files that she had encoded. She hadn't needed to ask Andrew for programs, she had just told him what was on the computer, what she wanted on it someday, and how to do it. He had done the rest all on his own. Ann was very grateful to him for this, he somehow always new exactly what to do and say. That shocked her a little, that a person could actually be that kind. Ann went over to the stereo (Andrew had also bought this without even knowing whether or not she wanted one) and stuck in a diskette. She loved the old music; Andrew had actually been able to find it for her. She hadn't heard quite a few of these songs in a long time. Bands like Journey, Bob Segar, and James Taylor. She also liked some of the old Japanese singers, though before Andrew had bought her the disks, she had never even heard them. She especially liked Megumi Hayashibara and Toshihiko Seki. TWO-MIX was also very good, but their songs were mildly perverted. Her favorite songs were probably Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" and Megumi Hayashibara's "Don't Be Discouraged." Andrew said that that had at one time been a theme to a TV show, but he couldn't remember which one. She also liked "Rainy Day Shakespeare," also by Megumi Hayashibara. "Thesis Of A Cruel Angel" was good as well, and Megumi Hayashibara's version of it was even better! It had rather sad lyrics, but the melody was wonderful, as were the tones. Ann had truly grown to love this place, this estate. All of the people were so kind. She had grown to love them as well, her new family. Ann smiled at that thought. Her family was all dead, but somehow she had one once again. Sora and Yuy had not mentioned her real name once; they had realized that she didn't want to talk about it. Ann put in her Journey CD and put it on "Wheel In The Sky." Another wonderful song, as was the whole diskette. Ann had found that she adored writing poetry and was drawn to sad music. She couldn't quite explain why.

Ann turned on her computer, logged on, and brought Word up. She clicked on "Diary" and began to type.

August 12, A.C. 170 Dear Eiei,

Another wonderful day. I was able to meet Andrew's parents; they're wonderful. Everything was wonderful! Only one thing I would have changed about the whole day. They know who I am, not just recognizing me, but knowing my real name. I really don't want anyone to know who I am, it's in the past, no use crying over spilt milk as they always say! You know who I am. I put it in my first entry, remember? I bet you do! I wonder if anyone will ever read this. If I have children I know they will, I want them to. What's the point of writing a diary if you don't want someone to find it one day? Isn't that what they're for? That's what I believe, at least. Such a wonderful song, I love Journey. They sing beautifully. Hayashibara-sama is wonderful as well. I just listened to "Thesis Of A Cruel Angel" while I was taking my shower. I love that song. I've never put any of its lyrics here, have I? I think I will, just my favorite section of course! I don't want to weigh you down with nonsense! Well, here goes! Zutto nemutteru watashi no ai no yurikago

Anata dake ga yume no shisha ni yobareru asa ga kuru

Hosoi kubisuji wo tsukiakari ga utsushiteru

Sekaijuu no toki wo tomete tojikometai kedo Hmm. I don't even know if you know Japanese! Well, since you're a computer, I'll bet you do. Why am I considering you a person, you're probably wondering. Well, it's because you're my friend, and I don't want to go saying that a computer is my friend, now do I? That's why I gave you a name. I'm odd, but it doesn't matter. I hope someone reads this someday. If they do they'll know everything there is to know about me and my life. I hope that I live long enough to make this journal interesting. A thought just occurred to me! What if whoever reads this doesn't know Japanese! I wonder why I've never thought of that! Well, Oniisan knows Japanese, so I don't have to worry about that. But what if my kids don't? (This is going on the very slim possibility that I actually do have children.) Well, I guess I'll just translate everything! No, this doesn't mean that I won't use Japanese words; I'll just put the translations at the bottom of each entry! I'll start with this one! I'll only put the translation to your name once, along with a reason why I picked it once. I don't feel like putting it at the bottom of each and every entry. Well, that's all that really happened. Iie! I forgot to mention that I ran away! Only for a little while, don't get nervous. I ran back to the base. When I got there, I received two shocks, the first being that Andrew knew I had headed in that general direction. Sometimes I think that he is psychic. The second shock is that, even though I blew up the base, I still found all of my things in perfect condition. This is odd; I thought they had been disintegrated. They should have been. Well, Andrew found me and walked me back to the estate; he also made a copy of the base's mother computer's hard drive, so there will be a copy of that on this computer as well. I have a feeling that I will need more hard drive! That's a shocking discovery, this hard drive is supposed to be infinite! Well, nothing is really infinite, we all know that! Not even time, it'll end someday. Well, that's it! Here's to the translations! See you tomorrow, Eiei! Translations: Eiei- Eternity. This diary can last an eternity if nothing happens to it, so I thought that Eiei was an appropriate name for it! The suffix -sama- I used it on Hayashibara-sama, remember? It's usually used on someone you have great respect for. Like saying Lady Hayashibara. Something like that. Oniisan- Elder brother. Iie- No The song lyrics- I don't feel like writing out every word, so I'll just put the paragraph. While you are sleeping in my love's cradle,

The dream messenger calls out only to you--the morning comes

As moon drops reflect your slender neck

Stop all the time in the world--I want to keep this moment That's it! Later! P.S. Like the highlighting? Heehee!

With that, Ann logged off her computer and shut it down. She put on her nightgown, turned down the stereo, and went to sleep. A nice, peaceful, carefree sleep.


	6. Chapter Six

Ann awoke Sunday morning feeling well rested and ready for a new day. She practically skipped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She stripped out of her nightgown and jumped into the shower, humming. She had the feeling that today would be another wonderful day. She washed her hair, bathed her body and got out. She went to the closet and pulled out an outfit that she thought was appropriate. An off-the-shoulder white, lace-up shirt and mid- thigh, pleated, black skirt. She quickly brushed and braided her hair, careful to use a nice white ribbon to tie it back. She ran down stairs as she heard the clock chime eight o'clock and sat down for breakfast, but no one was there. Ann waited for about ten minutes before getting up and looking around for Andrew and Isabelle. She tried calling their names, but there was no reply. She ran to the back door and was about to yell out of it when she saw the helicopters. They were military helicopters. Both of them had a large red symbol on them. Death. The symbol said death! Ann almost went white with terror, but then remembered her training. She had to get away, she must live. Civilian lives didn't matter; she was the only important one. She was about to run when she saw them. Andrew, Isabelle, Louis, Sora, Yuy. They were all outside with the soldiers. Ann's breath quickened, and her pulse practically stopped when she saw one of the men hit Sora with the butt of a gun. But she didn't fall; somehow Sora put up with it and stood tall. Ann had made up her mind, she must rescue them.

She crept stealthily out the door and into the forest. In doing so she could position herself directly behind the soldiers, then sneak up on them. She grinned as she crept up behind the first set of soldiers; they all had their backs to the forest. One of them was talking through a transporter.

"Yes, sir! Squads A-F have entered the building, the tears gas was released and they should have the girl surrounded shortly." The guard spoke in a regal voice. Ann could not hear the reply, nor was she listening. She had her mind on something else, she had to rescue them! Ann's mind had already figured it all out; she had to get all of them at once. In order to do so, she had to get some sort of weapon. She knew she could handle them barehanded, even if there were a hundred of them, but she didn't want her companions to know that. They would think of her as a freak, not that there weren't hundreds of people who thought that already, but Ann didn't want them to be added to the masses.

Ann crept up behind the guard with the transporter first. She cracked him hard across the neck, heard and crack and watched him slide to the ground. Surprisingly, this really didn't make all that much noise, and none of the other soldiers were alerted to her presence. She went behind the next to and used the same maneuver, by this time; all of the guards knew she was there. Ann picked up a pistol from one of the other guards and fired at the ones who looked like too much of a threat. Noticing how she had taken out several guards on her own, some of the more spineless soldiers ran off and deserted their ranks. A group of six soldiers decided to team up against her. Ann knew that a pistol was no match for this many, she stuck it in the laces of her shirt and got ready for hand-to-hand combat. Ann grinned as they charged. She had completely lost track of everything. All she knew was that she wanted to destroy them and that was what she was going to do. She didn't even realize that all of the people she was trying to save were watching with horrified fascination. Ann ducked the first round and kicked out at an angle that struck all six men, sending them sprawling and knocking out the two that she had hit straight on. The four remaining groupers didn't give up; they ran at her forcefully and pulled out weapons. The front to fired numerous shots before being taken down, none of which were affective at all. The back two had a little more luck. They managed to get off several more shots than their predecessors. Two of the shots fired hit home in Ann's right side and left shoulder. She didn't even notice. There were only seven remaining guards. They formed together and attacked. Ann dodged all of the bullets and attacked. She knocked out four guards with her first offensive, the last three with her second. Ann's consciousness returned when she realized that she had defeated them all. She blinked and regained her surroundings. She had to rescue her friends. She ran over to where they were tied and freed them. She ran a hand over the cuts on Sora's forehead and made sure that it wasn't too deep. It wasn't.

"We should get going." Ann said in a monotone. Her voice had lost all emotion, as had her face. Andrew stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at her.

"What happened?" He asked shakily. "I didn't just see that!" He held his stomach and looked as though he were to be sick.

"It was necessary, Yuy." Ann replied, walking on. "Follow me, or I will leave." She said, turning and looking at him.

"Ann?" Andrew asked. "It's me, why can't you tell?" His eyes were frightened.

"I know who you are. I know all about you. You are Andrew Yuy. That is all that needs to be said." She glanced back again. Her eyes were dead, they had built up a wall.* "Liven up."

"Ann!" Sora said in astonishment. "What has happened to you?"

"Years of bad luck and fighting, ma'am." Ann kept walking.

"Ann, what happened to the girl I once knew?" Sora begged.

"She died. When her parents were assassinated, she was killed as well. It is on the death record of that accident. Ann is dead." Her voice carried no emotion even with the mention of her parents' deaths.

Andrew had had enough. He ran forward, grabbed Ann's shoulders, spun her around, and slapped her. "Live! You are not dead! You're right here! Right in front of me! Wake up!"

"Give it up, Andrew. She's not listening." Yuy sighed.

"See now, that's where you're wrong." Ann muttered, her eyes had narrowed. "I hear and I listen to what you are saying! I know who I am! But for all the rest of the world knows, I'm dead! Let's keep it that way!" She spat. "I will find you all a safe transport, and a contact, then I will return here, and eliminate those who wish to conquer me."

"Ann!" Now it was Sora's turn. "You must live up to your parents' legacy. They have created a wonderful life for you! Don't ruin it! You could go and get your account and never have to worry about this anymore!"

"You are wrong, Sora. You don't understand." Ann spun around and faced the woman. "They will pursue me until they believe that I am dead. Do you understand that? I'm not a safe person to be around." Ann suddenly broke off and started coughing. Coughing blood. "The bullets." She murmured. "The bullets were poisoned." She collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.


	7. Chapter Seven

Ann lay unconscious, but the others did not. Andrew and Yuy judged the poison and decided that they needed serious help. Andrew picked up Ann and they all ran into the woods, the same thought was on everyone's mind: what were they going to do? Andrew couldn't be found, and Yuy was supposedly on vacation. Yuy had to find a phone someplace to call for help. But what about Ann and Andrew? They were the ones in the direst need of help and the only ones who weren't allowed to be known of. This truly posed a problem for the group. Yuy decided that he was going to risk it and get help for the two children, there wouldn't be much to hide if they were both dead, now would there? They ran through the forest until they came to the ruins of Ann's old base, Yuy was in moderate shock. He hadn't known that there was a base back there! He had thought they were the only ones in a wide radius! Andrew might have already been in trouble, but he decided that wasn't the case. They base still smelled of smoke and burning metal. It had been destroyed recently. Yuy came to the quick decision that this was where Ann had come from, this base. He stopped and let Andrew rest a bit. Though she was not heavy, Ann was still a mild burden. If she had been awake, this would have been ten times easier, but she wasn't. He knew he couldn't dwell on the past, so Yuy rounded everyone up to decide what needed to be done. Surprisingly, Andrew had the best idea.

"Well, what we really need, is to find any sort of communication." Andrew declared the obvious. "When I was searching for Ann here, I found such an object. There is a phone that I believe is still in tact, up the stairs and forty feet down the hall to your south, father. Why don't you see if it works?"

"All right, that sounds like our best hope. Why not, eh?" Yuy grinned and headed off in the direction Andrew had pointed out.

While waiting for Yuy to return, Andrew decided to see if he could wake Ann up. He set her on his lap and did the traditional, wake-up-an-unconscious- person things. None of which really work, as he soon realized. "Well, damn! What on earth is so powerful it knocks her out so much that I can't even wake her up?" Andrew punched the metal he was sitting on and Ann stirred. "." Andrew just glared at the girl.

Ann's eyes fluttered open and she coughed. "Where are we?"

"Back at your base. Dad went to go see if any of the phones still worked. He could just call one of his bodyguards."

"Like they'll do any damage! You don't know who we're dealing with, Andrew. These are big time guys! They aren't just your renegade killers. They have authority and a leader. Two leaders if I'm not badly mistaken and one of them finally died. I can only hope." She shook her head and winced. "It doesn't seem to be very strong poison, and probably wasn't meant to kill. I'm almost willing to bet that all it was was a tranquilizer of some sort, just to knock the victim out. I don't feel anything worse than a migraine at the moment. I'll probably be fine in a couple of hours." She pushed off Andrew's lap and stood up. "Yup, definite migraine." She winced and stretched her arms. "Here, call your dad and I'll take you to the emergency vidcom. OK?"

"Sounds good, Imouto!" Andrew slugged her lightly and she stuck her tongue out.

"Get your dad, baka!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Andrew laughed and walked off in search of his father.

"Smart ass!" Ann laughed.

"True. He is like his father." Sora smiled. "I'm glad you're not in a bad mood anymore."

"Hai. I probably overreacted a bit, but the real me, the one that I was supposed to be, died twelve years ago in an explosion. I died with my parents that day. They are not without their daughter." Ann smiled sadly.

"No, that bit of you is still alive somewhere. Somewhere, maybe not in a place you know of yet, but it is out there. It may be closer than you think." Sora smiled gently. "There they are. Wonder what took so long?" Sora pointed to Yuy and Andrew.

"Eh, probably just got lost. I did too on my first day here, but I didn't have someone helping me out!" She strolled up to the pair. "Well, are we going to go now?"

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea, this place is starting to creep me out." Yuy smiled and put his hands in his pockets.

"Follow me." Ann walked off towards an area that looked as though it had been hit the worst.

"How could there be a phone here?" Andrew asked.

"They did that on purpose. The vidcom is covered in an anti-firebomb coating so that it can't be destroyed. No one would guess it to be here in the middle of most of the carnage. I wish I had my laptop, though. I could use a bit of the data on it right about now." Ann shrugged.

"We'll get it sooner or later. Unless, that is, the soldiers found it." Andrew looked at Ann.

"Not likely. I hid it carefully. They could ransack the whole house and not find it." Ann grinned. "It's a little trick I learned quite a few years ago, that even someone who know the trick couldn't decipher. A truly ingenious idea. Whoever thought it up should get an award." She grinned. "Well, there it is!" She pointed at a wall."

"Uh, Ann? That's a wall, dear." Andrew patted her on the shoulder. "Maybe you should lie down."

"Andrew, use your brain! It's supposed to look like a wall so that you wouldn't recognize it." Ann went over to the wall and stared at it. She put her hands out, felt the different surfaces for a couple of minute, and then punched a hole in it. "Oww. Note to self, never, ever, punch Gundanium." She shook her hand and blew on it.

"Don't be ridiculous! You can't punch a hole in Gundanium! It's humanly impossible. It takes a C67 to even leave a dent!" Yuy laughed. "I should know, I work with it quite frequently. Currently, even, the peacekeeping agency of the government is working on stopping a test operation. I'm supposed to know the limits and boundaries. I do, too! It takes a 289994.89kg force to even dent it! I don't think that you can punch that hard!"

"Are you done with your speech, or can we continue. But, for your information, that was Gundanium, and I can punch a hole in it. Go ahead, when we're done running, and we've blown up the bastards chasing us, you can get out a fancy device that'll prove me right." She glared at him. "I'm not known as the immortal weakling, you know! That wouldn't take much. I'm also, probably, the strongest person on this planet! So there! Kiss my ass for all I care!" Ann's eyes didn't blink nor waver from her target.

"That was very rude." Yuy glared back, but found himself wilting. "I will test it, Ann. It's not possible!"

"You do that. Right now, I'll just save some time by dialing the number instead of bickering with you like a two year old. Now, what is the number you wanted me to dial?" Ann put on her sweetest smile.

"The Brussels forward number. 6-265-990-6848. If they ask you who you are, just say: Livit. That's the passcode." He grumbled.

"Arigato, baka-san!" Ann dialed and turned on the digital screen.

"Hello, Brussels Presidential Office. This is Idea Sorvenere, how may I help you?" Ann almost fell over.

"Uh, whom am I supposed to ask for?" Ann looked at Yuy.

"The President, why else would I give you the number?"

"Eh-heh. I need to speak with the President?"

"I'm sorry little girl, but you can't just talk to the President whenever you want to. You have to get legal permission and then an appointment. Now, should I give you the number for the hospital? You seem as though you need to be at one."

"No thank you. Yuy! What am I supposed to do?"

"Are you speaking to Minister Yuy?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Ann grumbled as Yuy snubbed her. "You baka! What to I do?"

"Ann, you are incompetent, and you're a liar. I don't like that in little girls." Yuy said with dignity.

"You know what, I oughta deck you!" Ann glared at him.

"Really now? How am I supposed to help you if you're threatening me?"

"Argh! Andrew! Help!"

"Would you two just get along already?" Andrew pleaded.

"No, I don't like liars." Yuy glared.

"For all we know, she was telling the truth! Just ignore it and help us get out of here!"

"I suppose our getting out of her takes priority over everything else, but I still don't like liars."

"Thank you, Andrew. What should I do? Yuy?"

"Tell her the passcode."

"OK, lady, the passcode is Livit. Does that do something?"

"Oh, dear. You do know the passcode, don't you? Well, then I'll have to get the President for you." She turned away from the screen and yelled into the background. "Mr. President? There's someone on the phone for you!" Ann couldn't hear the reply. The woman turned back. "Feel lucky, the President of the Federation will speak with you."

"Thank you." Ann grumbled. "Here you go, Yuy. I am not talking to the so- called President. Really, isn't he the General?"

"Yes, but he likes being called President. He's a great guy, too. So bear with it." Yuy went over to the vidscreen.

"Yes? Whom am I speaking to?" The President asked.

"Hey, Joe, it's me, Heero."

"My my, if it isn't the Minister! Where are you? You look like shit?"

"Thanks, Joe. I'll explain later, the phone isn't a good place. Look, I need a plane, immediately. Make it equipped with artillery, OK?"

"Sure, but why?"

"I promise you'll know later. I'm betting that you can trace our location?"

"Of course."

"Thanks."

"Wait, before you go. I should inform you of something. I'm surprised you haven't asked me about it, so I'm guessing you don't know. There was a terrorist attack on the capital of Japan last night. Luckily I had just left. But it was a little to close for comfort. I don't know anything about who did it except for their name. The chopper that did the bombing had OZ written on it. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Before Yuy could answer, Ann shoved him aside and stared directly at the President.

"You're joking!" She shrieked.

"Excuse me, miss. I am not joking and I would appreciate if you didn't interrupt my conversations. But, considering you interrupted, I'm guessing that you know something about this group?"

"This isn't a secure line, I don't know who's listening." Ann said. "Just get us a plane ASAP. OK?"

"All right. But I do expect you to tell me what you know after I pick you up."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm coming. You seem to be in some sort of danger. With the exception of last night, everything's been so peaceful. I need something to boil my blood right about now."

"Well, if you want to know everything, we may need more than just one plane. I'd need my notebook. But, that's inside the house right now, and, unfortunately, the house is under siege at the moment and we can't quite get back in."

"Under siege by who?"

"All will be known later."

"All right, I have your coordinates, I'm on my way!"

The group only had to wait two hours before three small military planes arrived. This, of course, brought out major attraction to where they were. Bullets and people were everywhere.

"Dammit! How long can this possibly take? All we have to do is load!" Ann shrieked.

"They have to protect us as we're loading, that means that they need the ramp all the way down."

"Shut up! I know that! I'm just annoyed!" Ann glared at Andrew.

"Gomen."

"That's OK, I'm just getting nervous and this isn't helping matters much."

"Loading time!" A man in a military uniform ran down, grabbed Ann and Andrew by the hands, and pulled them up the ramp. Once all four escapees were inside one of the planes, all four took off.

"Well, so there are four of you! Isn't this interesting." A tall man in a nice suit walked out. "I'm Joe Calmero."

"We know that." Ann rolled her eyes. "I don't think that anyone here, except Andrew, lives under a rock."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"Break it up." Sora laughed.

"All right, where's this house you were speaking of?"

"My estate is up that way." Andrew pointed towards the house. "You should see it shortly."

The huge house loomed into view.

"That's it." Andrew pointed at it.

"Damn! You've gotta be the richest teenager I've ever seen." The President whistled.

"No. Just privileged." Andrew smiled politely and Ann made a gagging motion.

"You're also very polite. Unlike your companion here." He glared at Ann; she just smiled and waved at him.

"Yes? Did you want something?"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Anrui Lethenanashi, charmed I'm sure."

The President stared at her. "Yuy, what on earth are you doing with this girl! She is personally charged with the destruction of 48 military bunkers and 84 troops! She's got a price on her head wider than the Grand Canyon!" He pointed at her dramatically.

"Do I? Hmm. Interesting. I only remember 12 different troops, unless you parry your troops together, which is suicide if you think about it. On bomb and their all dead!"

"Ack! Did you really do all that?"

"It pays a lot of money to take out government troops. Plus, they're quite simple to take out. You march like the British. In a straight line, and you make rules! In my opinion, rules in a war are rules that were made to be broken." She smiled.

"I refuse to work with you! In fact, the smartest move I could make right now would be to put you under arrest, but knowing you, you'd just escape again." He looked truly pissed off.

"Of course I would. No defense is too great. I really wouldn't mind if you placed me under arrest, at least you get fed! Anyway, right now, I'm the only one with information. I could give you the location of my notebook, but you'd never get into it. It's highly encoded, and you'd need a translator! I think that you'll just have to work with me!" Ann smirked.

"I probably will. All right. You give us the location of your notebook, we'll give it to you, then you can give us the information and we'll let you free this once, but if I ever meet you in combat, I'll show you no mercy!"

"Dear me, now who's rude. If you met me in battle, you wouldn't live to tell about it. You know my capabilities. I'm a genius and I'm the strongest person alive! That would make me a one-woman army, now wouldn't it?" She just kept smiling. "Now, let's redo your arrangement. I like most of it, except the you getting my notebook for me part. You can back me up if you like, but I'll get if for myself thanks."

"Whatever. I'd let you get it on your own and get killed, but then we wouldn't have any information now would we?"

"Iie, baka."

"Ann, be nice." Andrew patted her arm lightly.

"All right, I'll stop playing devil's adversary. You assign me a team; I'll go in. No need for you to dirty your Kashmir suit, now is there?"

"You know what, you're just as much of a bitch as I remember you. Exactly like our last meeting."

"Hmm. You got your ass kicked if I remember correctly. But, I've only been defeated once."

"Really, whom would that be by? I remember your record as undefeated."

"Andrew." She pointed at him and shrugged. "He won in a battle of words. Lord knows I could beat the kid to a pulp."

Andrew laughed lightly.

"Let me guess, she was living with you right?"

"Yes, you could say that." He smiled politely.

"So she's your girlfriend?"

"Ack!" Andrew and Ann shouted in unison. "I don't think so!" They both were wide-eyed.

"Where on earth would you get something like that?" Ann hissed. "Andrew's more like a big brother person. Not boyfriend material."

"Ann's not exactly the type I'd be looking for." Andrew scratched the back of his head."

"That's a relief."

"What'd you mean by that?"

"I can say what I want to!"

"That was mean!"

"So?"

"You should be more considerate."

"Considerate?! Who says I'm not considerate!" This continued.

"They're at it again." Sora sighed.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" The President asked.

"You can call me Sora. That's all you need to know."

"One more question, why were all four of you together?"

"Good question." Sora smacked her forehead. "I'm beginning to regret going on vacation. You see, Andrew is my son, and Heero is a friend of mine who needed a vacation so I took him with me. I never intended for this to happen. It just did, somehow."

"Interesting. Anyway. Ann, I have your team ready, stop bickering with that boy and jump!"

"Don't get your undies in a bundle pally! I'm goin'!" Ann walked over to the now-open door and yelled over the noise. "Send you team whenever you're ready." She jumped out. No parachute, no glider, nothing. It was a 68m drop.

"Is she nuts?" Yuy shrieked.

"From what I've gathered, yes." Andrew nodded.

"I figured as much."

"Team, go! That girl is impossible! She did this last time, too. Except that was off a cliff five years ago!"

"What?! She was ten five years ago!" Andrew shrieked. The team jumped and the door closed.

"Really? I thought she was at least nineteen now. She's been wreaking havoc for almost eleven years! That was when the first base exploded under her care."

"That's impossible! She would have been four!"

"Are you sure about that kid?"

"Yes, she told me her birthday. She also told me that I was older than her, and I'm only fifteen!"

"Then she really is immortal." The President shook his head. They looked out the window and watched half the building explode. The President sighed. "There went my team."

"What about Ann?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she caused that." He said.

"Mr. President, may I ask you something?" Andrew looked him in the eye."

"Sure kid. Shoot."

"Why are there so many organizations fighting each other?"

"I don't know. I wish I did, but I don't. That's what the Federation is for. We're here to try and attain peace." He shrugged. "By the say, just call me Joe."

"OK." Andrew looked down.

"Don't feel bad, kid. You're friend is fine. In fact, she's done." The pilot said kindly. "We're helping her up."

The door opened and Ann walked in. "Sorry about your team. I didn't know they had planted bombs on the place. I guess they were the new Z4 bombs. I walked over the area, then thirty seconds later they exploded. I'm sure they're all in heaven."

"Whatever." Joe muttered. "Do you have the information?"

"Yes, do you think that I'd come back up here without it?"

"Probably not."

"OK then."

"Give it to me."

"Just so you can bug my computer for the passcodes, I don't think so, pal."

"I don't do shit like that girl."

"I have a name, you know."

"Is it your real one?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business."

"Then I'll just call you little girl."

"No you won't. If you must know, yes, Ann is my real name. Lethenanashi isn't. Go ahead; look me up. I know you're just going to arrest me when I give you the information. So, I'm not giving it all to you at once."

"Bitch!"

"Why do military men swear so much? You'd think it was their language."

"Just shut up!"

"You just don't like it because I figured out your plan."

"So what? You're going to be a dead shit once I get the information."

"Go ahead and try to kill me. I dare you. Even Jackson's fluid did nothing to me."

"Where did you get Jackson's fluid?"

"A better question would be who used it on me?"

"All right. Tell me."

"OZ."

"Now you have my attention."

"OZ stands for 'Organization Of The Zodiac'. Several years ago, they created a legend about some machines called Gundams. A man and his team had a combined dream about them, let it spread, and we still have it around. No one knows how, but there really are machines called Gundams, you know. They're only diagrams, but there are some."

"Yes, I know the diagrams. I also know the stories. A bored engineer wrote them 57 years ago. That engineer's name was Doctor Ernest Johnson. He and some colleagues thought them up and he wrote them down. They were never published and are only and L1 area legend. How you know about the diagrams is beside the point, though the area is Top Secret."

"I've met the designers. Which is more than you can say. The man you tortured for the information died before you could get that much out of him, didn't he?" Ann smirked.

"So what." Joe was cut short as the pilot broke in.

"We are coming to a land at the Federation Military base in Brussels, sir."

"Very good. I need a limo to bring us to the Capital building please."

"All right, sir."

"We will continue this discussion in my office."

The group went in silence to the limos and then to the office. Once the office door had been locked, Joe pointed out a plug-in for Ann's computer and securely locked the door.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome."

Once Ann was logged in to her computer she brought up a file. "All right. I'll begin with who they are. * OZ is a military organization bent on world domination. The originators of the organization are rumored to be among the original creators of the colonies, which suggests that this organization has been around for a very long time. OZ has advanced Mobile Suit production from the Federation."

"That's nuts!" Joe shrieked. "We have the most advanced technology you can find!"

"Really? I don't think so. But, if you interrupt me one more time you're going to have a black eye. That wouldn't look too good on TV now would it? As I was saying, though the Federation and OZ have the same Mobile Suit types, the OZ models seem to be of better quality and have better pilots. OZ is believed to have the sole purpose of attaining total pacifism through military means and then turning the world into one communistic nation. Next subject is a timeline All right, OZ supposedly formed in 003 AC under the command of Doctor Simon Black. Dr. Black gave up on the organization ten years after it's founding because of his son's murder. It then is rumored to have disbanded, but we know better. The organization laid low for 140 years then came back with a Mobile Suit count of over ten thousand in both the Aries and Leo models. They cam back and directly attacked Dr. Johnson. He and his men defeated them with the help of Dr. Herald Simon. Dr. Johnson and Dr. Simon then disappeared to go and do God knows what in the L1 and L2 areas respectively. OZ shrunk back for another five years then reappeared outside L1 X13542 boundary and destroyed the shuttle carrying Dr. Odin Lowe, Sr. and his family. Dr. Lowe is known for his discovery of Gundanium Alloy. In records that you could only get from me, he actually found the Alloy in partnership with Dr. Johnson and four other men, including Dr. Simon. The six of them are the actual discoverers. Dr. Lowe gets the credit because the other five don't want the publicity. Dr. Lowe didn't want it either, but he, literally, drew the short straw. He also had the most to benefit from the money it could get him because he was married and had five children. He and his whole family died in the assault. Another five years passed and they attacked the New Olivar base in Bolivia. This, mind you, was one of the things the military has blamed me for because I was there. I was there fighting OZ, not attempting to destroy the base. Anyway, they seem to like the five-year slot, which is probably because they can make a set of 100 Mobile Suits in five years. Well, five years after that, they attacked the St. Joseph base on L3, causing the colony to explode. This was also blamed one me, because, once again, I was there. Then, breaking the pattern, they attacked two years later, which is, technically, last month. They attacked the Meyer Research base and I destroyed it. That's who I was running from, Andrew. Then they attacked Andrew's house this morning and the capital of Japan last night. That was OZ."

"So those guys back at your house were OZ?"

"You would be correct in that assumption."

"Why didn't you say so then?"

"You didn't ask. Plus, they had us outnumbered six to one. You would have gone all out and gotten us all killed. I destroyed half their fleet when they attacked the base I was staying at by self-destructing it. Everyone who worked there was already dead. I was the only one and it was all or nothing."

"Maybe I'm miss judging this, but they seem to be after you in particular. Is this right?"

"Well, they can't find the Doctors who found Gundanium and they want to know how to manufacture it. Those doctors are the only ones who know how, with one exception."

"You know how to get Gundanium?"

"Of course I do. I've met the Doctors; we call them Scientists. They like that title better."

"Why would they show you?"

"Now why would I tell you? Don't think I'd show you either. That'd be dumb. It'd make your army even stronger. And, in my humble opinion, you're already a little to big for your boots."

"I should just place you under arrest right now! It'd save me a lot of trouble! But, I need your information, so I won't. We have ways of torturing you that'd make you tell."

"Sorry, pally, but pain doesn't bug me one little bit. You can't bribe me and I have no family. You're shit outta luck if you want to torture me."

"Not quite. But you'll see that soon enough. No, wait, it could never be soon enough with you!"

"I'm scared, sure. Not. I can't think of one thing I'm afraid of." Ann smiled sweetly. "So you can just kiss my ass."

"I think that's enough for today." Yuy said, standing up. "Ann, you, Andrew, and Sora can stay with me, OK?"

"Sure. Later ass." Ann waved at Joe and walked over to the door.

"You don't leave until I say so. Not even you can force open that door."

"Really? How's this?" She reached over, turned the handle, and opened the door. "Later."


	8. Chapter Eight

Ann found her way through the hotel the next morning relatively easy. As she was drinking her coffee, a strange thought occurred to her. What happened to Isabelle and Louis?!? She remembered watching them get on the second plane that arrived, but after that it was a complete mystery. She rushed out of the room and down the hall, where she ran into Andrew.

"Whoa! What's the rush? We don't have to be back at the office for another three hours!"

"What happened to Isabelle and Louis?"

Andrew suddenly went pale. "Oh, dear. I think we ditched them! Remember when the planes landed? We hurried off in such a rush that I think we left them there!"

"Well, let's go find them!" Ann grabbed the boy and they ran out of the hotel so fast that several onlookers thought that they were crazed!

After driving back to the airport where they had landed, the two teens ran up to the service desk and sought out the woman who had been working there when they landed.

"Ma'am? I doubt that you remember us, but we landed her yesterday with the President and we seem to have lost some of the people flying with us. A woman in about her late twenties and a man in his early thirties? Their names are Isabelle and Louis."

"Yes, I know where they are. They got off the plane and couldn't find you so we gave them a room and they've been helping us out around here. They're both very helpful." Ann and Andrew both heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Can you tell us where they're at right now?"

"I'll go get them for you." A few minutes later, the woman returned with Isabelle and Louis following her. "Here they are!"

"Well, Master Andrew, have you had fun?" Isabelle asked cheerily.

"Not in particular, but I have a question. Why didn't you just call father on his cell?"

"Oh, we didn't mind staying here, did we Lou?"

"Not really. Plus, I got to cook for these fine people. They loved it! I enjoy making people happy with my cooking!"

"Well, I'm glad we found you." Ann smiled. "C'mon, let's go back to the hotel."

"All right. Goodbye everyone!" Isabelle waved and Louis laughed. "See you again on the return flight!"

Once back at the hotel, the President forced the two teens into another discussion in his office, along with Sora and Yuy. He wanted more information OZ.

"Well, well. Aren't you impatient? I'll give you more info., don't worry. Now, what exactly do you want to know?"

"Everything you know."

"Now, now, make it a doable request. There's no way that all the information I have will fit into your puny brain."

"Why you little bitch!" He shot up and moved to slap Ann, but she caught his hand and twisted it backwards. The President struggled, but could not get free. Ann twisted harder and harder; finally she could see the pain in his eyes.

"Now, give me a precise question." Ann demanded as she let him go.

"I'll enjoy meeting you in battle."

"Better hope your whole army is behind you. You couldn't beat me otherwise."

"Shut up, insolent child. Where and when will they next attack? Tell me that, wonder girl."

"Actually, by intercepting a communications radar of theirs while all of you were sleeping last night, I've deciphered that they will attack this building in about four and a half hours. Give or take a few minutes."

"What! Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"Well, Andrew and I had to find Isabelle and Louis, and then we were forcefully taken into this office of yours. I didn't feel like being very nice."

"If you don't quite smarting off to me, you're going to wind up in the building when it is attacked!"

"What, you mean you aren't even going to take an offensive? You are just a weak man, then. I thought you had at least some guts. Why not stick it out and surprise them by attacking before they get the chance to."

"Because I don't know where they will be attacking."

"You could always ask me, but that would be below you, wouldn't it?"

"You are really getting on my nerves."

"The feeling's neutral."

"Did you know that I could put a bullet right through your head right now if I wanted to?"

"Really? Hmm. Is this cause for me to be frightened? Or am I supposed to beg for forgiveness?"

The President pulled out a gun. "Don't push it! I will shoot you, information or not! Little bitch!"

Ann sighed. "You really are hopeless. I could dodge that bullet with ease, even if you fired three shots in rapid succession all around me. I'd still be able to get out of the way. Or don't you remember that from the last time we met?"

"Just shut up."

"If I shut up, who will give you information?"

"Your dear friends here, you're bound to have told them a few more things than you've told me."

"Nope, sorry. I haven't told them anything."

"Damn you! Get out of my office!"

"Fine."

"No, stay exactly where you are. I need more information. Where will they attack the building?"

"Northeast docking port. They already have men situated there preparing for the attack. There are also twelve bombs situated all around the inside of this building. Luckily for you, I know where each of them is."

"All right, give me the bomb locations and the names of the soldiers already inside."

"Nope. You're going to try and remove the bombs, you don't want to do that."

"Why the hell not?"

"Trust me, you just don't. They'll activate and explode if you touch them."

"Then how do we disengage them?"

"Wrong question. A more appropriate one would be: How do we use them to our advantage?"

"Fine. How do we use them to our advantage?"

"First off, use an electromagnetic laser and fire at the blue wires on each of the bombs, this will make them removable, they can't be disengaged unless you want me to take the time doing that instead of getting us ready?"

"Why can't someone else disengage them?"

"Because nobody else knows how. I invented these bombs; I know everything about them. OZ stole my records in order to build them, the bastards!"

"Fine. Continue."

"Second, we have to replace the bombs all over the Northeast docking port. When the time comes for OZ to enter, we evacuate all of the Federation soldiers from the docking port and watch them get blown up by their own bombs. This will distract them, I hope, and we will be able to shoot down their air attackers."

"What happens if they aren't distracted?"

"Run like there's a ghost chasing you out of the building." Ann smiled. "If we do have to evacuate, I have another plan for after we have. Unfortunately, it doesn't include any of you. This is something I must do, whether they get distracted or not." She looked directly at Andrew. "Don't try to follow me."

"I'm sorry, but you aren't allowed out of my sight!" The President declared.

"Just try to stop me. You won't even know I've gone. You could stare at me the whole time and I'd still escape. The only one I'm worried about is Andrew. He's never seen anything like this before." She looked him in the eye. "Will you be alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. But where are you going?"

"I'll be infiltrating OZ's base. I doubt that anyone here really wants to join me? Also, I doubt that anyone here has the skill to join me."

"Of course I have the skill!" Joe yelled.

"Calm down, I'll be sure to send you the information straight away. Joe, once I enter that base, this will be my own personal mission. You have to understand that."

"Well I don't."

"Then you are less human than you even make yourself out to be."

"What do you mean?"

"I have to do something inside of that base, then you can take over. I'm not going to destroy it or kill them all. This is a recon mission to me. Don't worry, I won't steal your limelight." 

"Why is it a recon?"

"Because I must recover something from the base."

"That's usually the definition of recon, but what, or who, are you recovering?"

"That's not really any of your business. Plus, you'll never find out what it was because I'm giving it to someone right afterwards. If that's what you want to call it, anyway."

"I want to know what you are retrieving. You cannot go otherwise."

"Like you can stop me. You sound like a disgusted parent!"

"I don't care. What are you going to recon?"

"A person. A person that you don't need to know about. They don't have anything at all to do with you or the Federation. This is between us and OZ."

"I think I understand something here. It's you OZ is after, no one else. They went through a lot of trouble to track you down obviously. They're even attacking this building. They just want you."

Ann laughed. "Well, give the man a cigar!"

"What!?" Andrew shrieked. "Why would they be after you?"

"Probably the same reason we were after her." Joe grinned. "She probably went and blew up some of their important facilities."

"Wrong. It's a personal reason. They just want information out of me. Nothing else. The person they took hostage also knows this information, but we are two of the few people lift that actually know. He wouldn't tell, so they're after me now. Kind of funny if you think about it."

"What is?"

"OZ is after me, you're after me, practically every organization on the planet is either after my skill or my brains, and I've defeated all of you so far. Same with him, except for the being captured part. Well, I guess OZ is the only organization he's fought, but he was six when we first fought them, he didn't have a chance. In fact, I'm only rescuing him because I owe him my life."

"Who is this young man?" Yuy asked.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you, but you can't go looking for him. Promise me. Even you, Joe."

"Fine. We all promise." Joe replied. The other three just nodded.

"He is the sole survivor of the Lowe accident. Lucas Lowe." Ann grinned. "Well, I guess that's not completely true, but I don't know if the other is really alive or not. All I've heard is rumors."

"You told us that all of the Lowes died. Were you lying?"

"Of course."

"." Joe just glared.

Ann pressed a few buttons on her laptop and a sheet printed from a nearby printer. "Those are the locations. Have twelve of your men go and remove them the way I told you. Electromagnetic laser. I need to go down to the Northeast docking port and decide where to put the bombs so that the least amount possible of damage is done to the main building. Then I shall cause the data on where to put the bombs to appear out of that same printer there that just printed the locations. Then I shall vanish. Don't worry; I'll hurry back. Luke won't be with me, though. I don't want him to be here. It's not safe."

"Fine. Let's get started." Joe called up twelve of his best men and gave them each a location. They hurried off to do their general's bidding. Ann grabbed her notebook and ran out of the office. She knew her job well.

Ann rushed down the stairs to the docking port and surveyed the area. The twelve men from OZ were all pretending to be Federation officers, so they were at their posts like good little boys and girls. Ann quickly sat down and opened her notebook. She looked around once more and typed in twelve locations. She set them to print in a half and hour. Then she added a little note to the bottom. Since it should be about lunch when they were to place the bombs, Ann wrote that the men should pretend that the group of them were just coming down to have lunch, as it wasn't quite as hectic down there. They were to sit where the bombs were to be placed and pretend to eat. Ann put that they should be inconspicuous in their doing so and even stay down there for a while when they were done. She wrote that Joe should give them each individual times to go back up to the office, at random intervals as to not rouse suspicion. He should then call in all his officers from the bay; Ann had already given him the list of officers that were with OZ, right before it exploded. Now that she had finished her good dead for the day, Ann had work to do. She tucked her notebook into her pants and scanned the soldiers for one that was away from the group a bit. When she found one, she slowly snuck up behind him, waited until the time was right, and knocked him out. She pulled the soldier's limp body into the bathroom, stole his uniform and went out to take his position. One of the soldiers was glaring at her when she got back out.

"Where did you go?" Ann recognized him as the leader of the group.

"I took a restroom break, sir." Ann replied. The soldier she had mugged had been female. 

"Fine." The soldier went back to his post. "It's almost time."

Ann hadn't chosen this woman for no reason. She had known that she would be slightly off from the group. That was for a reason. This woman had to go outside to wait for the troops. She was to signal the commander when they arrived. Ann was going to go outside when told to, but they weren't going to get any warning.

"It's quarter to eleven, sir."

"All right. The soldiers should be coming in an hour and fifteen minutes. That's good."

Half an hour later, Joe's undercover soldiers came in for lunch. The OZ soldiers thought nothing of it, except for Ann. She wanted their disguise to work perfectly. So she tested it.

"What did the group of you some down here for?" She asked the closest soldier. He was obviously good, because he gave the perfect answer. 

"It's rather hectic upstairs, so the group of us came down here to peace and quite. There aren't to be any dockings today, so we knew it'd be nice here. We came down here for quite, so we decided to sit apart. We see enough of each other at our positions anyway."

Ann noticed a few OZ soldiers relax. None of them were suspicious anymore. After a while, the soldiers started leaving. Perfectly random intervals. She had to give credit to Joe. He knew how to train them. Ann barely noticed the commander walk up to her.

"This is perfect. With them leaving like this, no one's going to notice you leaving. Watch your watch now. Five more minutes, then go watch for the troops."

"Yes Commander Walker."

"Good. You will be rewarded if you come in handy."

"Thank you, sir." Ann was getting sick of saying sir.

"And Dawn, be sure to tell us right away when they get here."

Ann was about to reply when she remembered that the woman she was portraying's name was Maia. "My name is Maia, sir."

"Good. Just checking to see if you were a spy. No spy would know your real name."

"Probably not, sir."

"Go, it's close enough. I don't want you to get out there too late. Better to be early than never."

"Yes, sir." She left the building. She was not undetected, though. The soldier she had questioned saw her go, and when it was his turn to leave, he sprinted up to the General's office and told him.

"You mean that one of them left?"

"Yes, sir. She left right before I did. Her and one of the other soldiers were conversing right before she left."

"How do you know it's a she?"

"She questioned me on why we had come down there."

"All right, get your team and surround her, don't let her communicate to her leader."

"Do you want us to destroy her, sir?"

"No. Call for me once you have her."

"Yes, sir."

"Go quickly, you only have twenty minutes!"

"Yes, sir."

The soldier collected his team and left quickly. He was out on the grounds in no time at all. He and his team caught Ann by surprise and surrounded her quickly. Ann was not exactly happy with this. The soldier called for Joe. "Sir, we have her surrounded. She has made no move to contact whoever's in charge. She will probably be punished. Those are my thoughts."

"All right. We've still got twelve minutes. I'm coming." Joe was there in less than three minutes. 

"Well, well. Trying to attack us were you?"

"Joe. You are an annoying little piss head! I'm trying to do something here!" Ann took off her hat and Joe just glared.

"Ann. What the fuck are you doing?"

"I took the uniform and position of the woman who was supposed to relay the message to the team once the troops got here. I'm not going to relay them, and I don't get killed. Now leave before the troops get here, spot you, and fire early!"

"Fine. Men, back inside quickly."

"Yes, sir!" They said in unison and ran back inside.

"Ann, you are a royal pain in the neck!"

"Arigato, baka!"

Joe ran inside and Ann went back to waiting.

Five minutes later the OZ troops arrived, she flagged them and looked at her watch. Perfect. The bombs would go off in ten seconds. Ann made it look as though she was talking to her boss. She stopped when it hit two seconds and started to give them the OK. The bombs went off. Ann hoped that the Federation men had gotten out. But if they hadn't, well, they hadn't! It wasn't really Ann's concern. Ann was thrown off her feet into a tree. She was fine, but she pretended to struggle to get up. She knew OZ's chivalrous manner. They come down to get her, and they did. They came with one of the med units. She heard the commander of the unit tell them to head back to base. They had their passenger. Ann doubted that he wanted to be around since the enemy had somehow known about their attack. Ann hoped they didn't get shot down. 

Once out of the firing zone, the commander of the unit relaxed and started to check Ann out. "Well, Miss Walker, you're lucky. You aren't badly injured and you didn't get killed in the explosion. However, we just received confirmation of the deaths of all officers within the building. I'm afraid that your father was one of them." Ann just stared at him. She was both faking disbelief and in real disbelief. She had taken over the commander's daughter! She had only found the girl's first name. Ann clasped her hands in prayer for the man who had died. He had obviously given the job of messenger to his daughter because it was the least dangerous. Even the members of OZ had souls. Ann wondered why she had thought that they didn't. They were human, that was all that they needed to be. Just being human gave them souls. "I'm very sorry Miss Walker. I'm sure your father went to heaven."

"Yes, I know he did." Ann smiled lightly.

"Now, we're going back to base. You can spend your next month relaxing. I'll talk to General Whittaker. He's a nice man." The commander smiled. "But you already know that, don't you Maia?"

"Yeah."

"I wonder who moved the bombs though. I thought that we were the only ones with that knowledge besides." He dropped off. "Oh, no. The Federation must have the Lowe girl working for them! We don't have a chance!" He looked directly into Ann's sad eyes. Ann was glad that when she had first seen the girl, she had noticed how much alike they looked. He would have caught her for sure by now if they hadn't looked alike.

"Well, we should be arriving soon. I'll escort you to your chamber, Miss Walker. I know that it may feel empty without Mike, but you'll get used to it." The man sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if this war is worth fighting if it kills so many good people."

"You must think of the greater purpose of the war." Ann whispered.

"I don't think that something that results in death has a greater purpose."

"It does, you just have to look hard to find it. Thought our era has many great heroes and people with the strength, I don't think that we will be the ones to end the eternal struggle of war. I don't think that anyone besides God himself can end the wars. The only way to do so would be to reform all of humanity. That would take an act of God."

"All right, if you say so."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter uses "???" as dialogue. Just warning you. Because I find this _hilarious_.

After Ann reached the base, she allowed the doctor to take her to the hospital wing. He released her after only a short time as her wounds were not dangerous. She got up, left the hospital, and went looking around. No one gave her very much grief, as most knew who her so-called "father" was. She was free to look for Luke's cell.

While looking around, Ann tried to remember Luke. It was hard as she hadn't seen him in about ten years. She knew what he looked like - that wasn't very hard. She knew pretty much every detail about who he was and where he'd been. But that didn't say shit about who he was on the inside. From what she could remember, Luke had been loud and boisterous, wild and flamboyant, tall and good-looking. Well, he had been tall when they were five. But Ann didn't know if he still would be. Same went for the good- looking part.

Ann suddenly stopped walking as she noticed the sign on the door. She had found the prison ward. She hadn't even been looking! Just wandering around. She slipped in unnoticed, but didn't make it look as though she didn't want to be noticed. She quickly scanned the room for hidden cameras. There were none. She scanned for voice detectors: none; finally she scanned for a security system: none. They sure didn't worry about people breaking free here, did they?

She quickly surveyed the room. It was no wonder they didn't have any security systems! These cells were fool-proof! Ann hardly knew if she'd be able to crack the cell open from the outside! She looked it over and deduced that she most certainly could. Knowing she could, she scanned the cells until she found what she wanted. The only full cell in the ward. A young man - fifteen or so - was its only occupant. He had a slim/medium build and was lying on his back with his hands behind his head nonchalantly atop his prison cot. He had obviously gotten used to the very displeasing accommodations. Ann certainly wouldn't want to be here. The man had straight black hair that framed his face perfectly. He seemed to have heard her enter, as he didn't look up, but made a comment.

"If you're here to ask me once more where my sister is, I don't know. I don't know how that can be so fucking hard to believe. Geezus!" He seemed very frustrated.

"Why would I need to ask?" Ann asked, grinning. He didn't seem to recognize her voice.

"Oh, so now I have an interrogator with a sense of humor. How wonderful!" He said in a dry tone.

"Well, I know where she is quite well thank you very much. She sends you her regards." Ann saw the man shoot up on his cot. He couldn't see out of the cell, but she could see in.

"What do you mean? You didn't do anything to her, did you?"

"No, no, no, Mr. Luke." Ann was trying very hard not to laugh at the look on the young man's face. She was having fun provoking him.

"I. don't understand." He seemed to have a problem with that.

"I'm offended!" Ann had decided to start dropping hints, very subtly. Just to see how well he deducted under pressure.

"Who are you?"

"Well, well! You are good. How very pleasing!"

"If you want me to join you on condition of leaving my sister out of this, forget it! I have no proof that you know where she is!" Ann found this thoroughly amusing, so she decided to continue her scam.

"Would you join me if I brought her before you?"

"If it meant her being safe. I would have to." Ann smiled in her trademark sad manner.

"Well, she's perfectly safe, has never been taking into enemy custody, is good at hacking, and makes a wonderful soldier."

"What the-!" He seemed confused. "Do you have her or not?"

Ann sighed. "Geez, you have one hell of a one-track mind, kiddo. She's safe! Doesn't that please you?"

"No. I want to see this damned war end so that I can go to her."

"What would you do if she came to you?"

"Question the security of this base."

"You are so remarkably dense that it's funny."

"Excuse me!?!"

"Luke, kid, I'm fine. Can't you tell? Or do you just not notice hints very well?"

Luke's eyes shot open. "Ann!" He jumped up. "Damn you! Don't mess with me like that!"

"But it was so fun, big brother!"

"Ann Lowe! I'm going to hurt you when I get out of here!"

"Who said I was letting you out? Maybe I joined these people. Maybe I'm only pretending to be Ann. How would you know?" The cell was silent.

"I guess I don't. But if you aren't Ann, oh well." He sighed. "I can wait."

"Oh, don't be so depressed! I'm letting you out!" Ann opened the cell door. "See." The man brought his eyes up to her and his jaw dropped.

"I knew we were twins. But I didn't know we were identical." Ann hit him over the head.

"You mean to say that you've forgotten what I look like! Ingrate!" She glared at him.

"Truce! Truce!" He put his fingers together in a cross.

"Now, we have to get out of here! Joe's gonna get pissed at me pretty soon. I think I wounded his enormous pride." She rolled her eyes.

"Who's Joe? Your boyfriend?" Ann stopped dead in her tracks.

"EWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!" She shrieked. "I HATE THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

"Whoa! No need to get yourself in a tizzy over it, kid! Geez!" Luke laughed. He had a sweet laugh; his smile was genuine and not the least bit sad.

"..."

"So who is he?"

"The President. Or so he likes to be called." She rolled her eyes. "Joe's the General of the Federation Army."

"!!!" Luke's eyes almost popped out of his head. "How the hell do you know him?!?"

"Yuy forced me to join up with him." She grinned teasingly. "Both of 'um."

"???" He blinked a couple of times. "Who's 'Yuy'?"

"Just the leader of the colonies."

"Doh! How did you get so high-up?!?"

"I live with his kid."

"You're engaged!?!"

Ann almost gagged. "What?!? I am NOT engaged to Andrew thank-you-very- much!"

"You're blushing." Luke pointed out bluntly.

"I am not!"

"Yes you are."

"Do you wanna get decked?"

"Not in particular."

"Then shut up, bakayarou."

"That wasn't nice." He glared at her.

"So what?" She glared back. Need I mention that they both have an insanely accurate Yuy death glare? *shudders*

".let's just get out of here." He groaned. "I need to see something other than a prison cell wall. It's so dull. and gray."

"I suppose it is." Ann smirked at him.

"So, where are we headed, dear little sister?"

"We're going back to the Federation HQ of course!" Ann laughed as though that were the obvious solution. "I have to pick up Yuy, Andrew, and Sora!"

"You are so confusing me, imouto."

"Well, you're male. It's expected. Oniisan!"

"Haha!" He laughed. "Touché!"

"You actually except that?" Ann blinked with an eyebrow raised.

"So? Girls are hot, guys are not!"

"." Her raised eyebrow twitched. *bonk!*

"Itai." Luke rubbed his head.

"OK." Ann muttered as they entered the main hall. "Follow me." She skirted them along the numerous halls that branched off and formed the base structure. It seemed everything was going well until a door opened to directly smash Luke in the head. The man who opened the door noticed Luke and sounded the alarm. In about ten seconds Ann and Luke were surrounded by about fifty men.

"This is just great, Imouto."

"Well, what do you say we show them exactly what it means to be a Lowe?"

"You're on!" They both crouched into a martial arts position and prepared to fight off quite a few people. (Imagine dozens of huge guys staring you down.)

Surprisingly, the two did quite well. They both had the ability to do quite a few things that normal people couldn't, one of those things was the ability to fight for long periods of time against guys twice their size without tiring a bit. In fact, they only got invigorated. Soon, most of the fighters were defeated, and the two were free to run for it. Ann led them to the exit, but found that the enemy didn't want to let them through very much. There was a barricade at the exit. It consisted of about thirty men. One of them was the doctor from the plane. He looked at Ann with hard eyes and she almost regretted having to defeat him (not kill folks, just knock out). She just remembered how hard it had been to be a girl wandering the streets alone because her brother had been taken from her. She wouldn't forgive that. There was no reason for her to feel bad at all.

"I thought you were to be trusted. You disguised yourself as one of us, then tricked us, then let him out. You are the Lowe girl. The one we were looking for. The one we must destroy. You killed one of our best troops, then paraded around as one of our most cherished soldiers' daughter. You tricked us and there is no excuse for that. Now we must kill you both." The doctor glared at her hatefully.

"It's not my fault you fell for it. I just wanted my brother back. Think of my killing your troop as the first part of my payback for taking my brother from me. That is the only unforgivable thing that I can think of, sir." Ann's eyes frosted over and she was a cold as was humanly possible plus some.

"Never mind your fucking brother! He is but one person! You killed many of ours!"

"You think I give a damn? This is a war. By the time it's over, half the people in this room will be dead. Plus some, even." Ann could find no reason not to be cold.

"Let's go, Annie-girl! Let's get out of here!" Luke touched her arm lightly.

"Right!" Ann's eyes softened at the face of her brother. She found her resolve about her nickname fading even farther into the background. Chris. I must let your memory rest now. I have my brother. I'm happy, aren't I? Aren't I?

Needless to say, Ann and Luke defeated their attackers, but not without retaining some damage. Luke had gotten the better end of the fight and had only cut open his left forearm. Ann, however, had not been so lucky. She had wound up with a gunshot wound in her left shoulder, precariously close to her heart. She had yet to finalize whether it hit her heart or not. Despite uncertainties in some issues, she knew for a fact that her injury would slow her down a bit. She just had to try and remember Yuy's cell number so that they could be picked up. She was having difficulties, though. Her eyes and mind kept fogging over. Ann knew that she was treading on very thin ice. She could collapse at any moment, who knew if she'd be able to wake up? Luke looked completely shocked at the amount of blood she was losing.

"Dammit! What the fuck is that damned number!?!" Ann was getting frustrated.

"Maybe it's just slipped your mind, Ann." Luke comforted softly.

"." Ann was deep in thought. Right as she thought that she could think no longer, Ann remembered the number. "I got it! 2-786-999-0010. Try that!" Luke inserted the money and punched the number into the pay phone.

"It's ringing.Hello!. I would like to speak with-"

"Heero Yuy."

"Mr. Heero Yuy please.thank you!. Yes, Mr. Yuy. My name is Lucas Lowe, sir. Yeah, nice to hear from you, too. umm, sure. listen, I need you to send a helicopter to these coordinates-"

"122, 56, 709, 902A."

"122, 56, 709, 902A. thank you, sir. I'll see you then. Yup, bye." He hung up. "Mou! That man sure does like to hear himself talk, doesn't he?"

"He's really a good guy, Luke." Ann's voice was slowly getting softer and more forced, Luke was noticing.

"You should lie down, Ann. I don't want you to pass out and hit the ground."

"I should pass out in general, Oniisan."

"I know, but right now I think it's inevitable."

"I hope I don't."

"Yeah. Me, too." His hair had fallen over his eyes, but Ann was sure that her brother was tearing.

"Shhh. It'll be fine, Luke. I'll be fine! I've gotten out of worse situations than this!" She reassured him, knowing that if she had actually believed what she was saying, he would have been more apt to.

"Are you kidding!?!"

"Luke, I know it looks bad, but I'll be fine." Ann coughed lightly, only it wasn't so light. She saw blood on her hand out of the corner of her eye and realized that the bullet had pierced at least some portion of her heart. Oh, great. She thought to herself.

"How do I know you're not just saying that." He trailed off, then looked up into the sky to see a helicopter there. "Ann, is that the one we're waiting for, or the enemy's?" Luke helped his sister sit up so she could get a better look at it.

"That's ours." Ann took a beacon out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Wave this. The radar will be sure to pick it up." Luke nodded and did as he was told. The Federation helicopter landed in the street in front of them and seven soldiers rushed out, along with Yuy and Sora.

"Good God, Ann!" Sora shrieked. "Now what have you gone and done?" Sora was staring in horror at the wound on her shoulder.

"He." Ann managed to laugh, she had a pained smile on her face. "This? Just a little bullet, that's all."

"It looks like it hit a major vein!" Sora was freaking out while Yuy helped Luke and Ann onto the helicopter.

After they were on board, Yuy started up a conversation to keep Ann from blacking out. "So this is who you went after, is it?"

"Yeah." Ann was finding it harder and harder to speak.

"Is he your brother?"

"Hehe. You could say that." She smiled in irony.

"We're twins." Luke answered.

"So that would make you Ann Lowe, just as we suspected!" Sora clapped her hands together happily, forgetting the current predicament.

"Yes, I guess it would." Ann blinked at the woman's stupidity and Sora noticed.

"Excuse me, young lady, but I am not as much of an idiot as you think, so there!"

"Really now?"

"How is it that you're still able to make smart-ass comments even when you're this close to being unconscious?" Luke joked.

"Talent, I guess." Ann's vision was becoming foggy, and her voice was barely above a whisper. "Now I feel very. tired." Her eyes began to slowly close, and she would never remember the three people trying desperately to keep her from blacking out.

Ann awoke later in the hospital of the Federation Military. She had a tight bandage around her left shoulder and another more loosely around her forehead. She looked around briefly before sighing and letting the monitor take notice of her awakening. Five people rushed in all at once. One, of course, being a nurse. The other four being Sora, Isabelle, Yuy, and - surprisingly - Joe.

"Are you all right?" Sora was - seemingly - treating her as if she were only half there.

"." Ann just glared at her.

"I guess you are." Sora paled and backed off.

"Oh, Ann! I have to go and get Master Andrew, now." Isabelle ran off to find her employer.

"So, you're up. You had us pretty worried. You've been out for three weeks." Yuy grinned.

"Nani!!!!!???????!!!!!!!" Ann screeched.

"???" She was rewarded with four blank stares - OK, one was a glare.

"It means 'what'." She rolled her eyes.

"You have, truly." Joe barked.

"Eh-heh." Ann's eye twitched. "I didn't know I'd hurt myself that badly."

"You did. Now, tell us what you were doing there." Joe didn't seem to care that there were three people glaring at him.

"I went to get my brother." Ann glared harshly.

"And you decided that we didn't matter? You need to tell us what you're doing!" Joe barked.

"Good fucking grief!" Ann shrieked and threw up her arms.

"No need for foul language, young lady." Yuy reprimanded.

"." Ann twitched.

"Was the boy that came back with you your brother?" Joe asked in a demanding tone.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because if he's not your brother, we'll just keep in jail."

"You threw my brother in jail!" Ann shot into a sitting position before anyone could stop her.

"I knew I hated you for a reason! Now I've got enough for the world to pass around!" She threw the sheets off herself and ran out of the room. She didn't get very far, however, as she collided with Andrew when she rounded the corner.

"Wow!" He laughed. "You look as though you've seen a ghost!"

"Look, I'm fine, now I gotta go get Luke!" She shot off again.

"Luke?" Andrew just stared after her.

Ann ran down hall after hall as she searched for her brother. She soon came to the prison area of the base and shot in like a cannon, paying no heed to the two guards' outside's warnings.

"Luke! Where are you?"

"I'm over here." Came a disgruntled voice. Ann ran to where the voice had come from.

"Luke!" She wasted no time opening up his cell door and letting him out.

"Thank you." Luke looked beyond the point of annoyance.

"What's with you?"

"What took so long?"

"Do you think I left you in there on purpose!" Ann looked as if someone had just told her she was male.

"Well? Didn't you?" He looked pissed, to say the least!

"No! I just woke up, baka!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" Ann just rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I wouldn't let you sit in here that long if I could help it. Why would I rescue you just to put you back in a cell?"

"I don't know. I was trying to figure that one out the whole time I was in there. I came up with only one reason."

"And what's that?"

"That you wanted to punish me for getting caught in the first place."

"Trust me, getting caught is enough punishment. I know. I've been shot about four times in the last month."

"Itai! I don't want to be you!"

"Well, you get to live with me for a while!"

"I knew that! Where else would I stay?"

"No idea. Come on, we have to go back to the hospital wing before they send someone after me. Or Joe shows up with a shotgun." She rolled her eyes.

"That'd be funny!"

"I now seriously question your sanity, kid."

"Hey! I'm older than you are.kid!"

"By about four minutes."

"So? That's enough."

"Well, I act older than you do."

"You haven't been stuck in a cell for ten years."

"True. But, I have been drifting from organization to organization."

"That doesn't surprise me. We're supposed to be dead."

"I know."

"Have you found out yet?"

"No."

"Oh."

That was all the time it had taken them to reach the hospital wing. They found six very confused people standing there.

"You! Damn you! You weren't supposed to let him out until we had him checked!"

"Oops." Ann said dryly to the infuriated President.

"Who are you!?!" He shrieked at Luke.

"Her older brother?"

"Don't mock me, dammit!"

"Yeah. Annie, does he always yell like this?" Luke asked his younger sister.

"Only when in my presence. I guess I'm just infuriating."

"Damn straight you are! Stupid child!"

"Who are you calling a child?" Ann and Luke asked in perfect unison.

"If you-"

"-mean either her-"

"-or him, you're-"

"-going to get it." They said while alternating lines. That shut up the Federation's General.

"Nauseating, aren't we?" Ann smirked at him.

"I could have you both thrown in prison!!"

"Do remember at all what happened the last time you tried that?" Ann smiled seductively.

"." Joe was very close to pouting right then and there.

"Aww. Poor baby gonna pout now?" Luke mocked him.

"Fuck you!"

"Again with the language!"

"Shut up, Yuy!" All three participants in the Level 5 arguing yelled in unison. Luke and Ann found that very funny, but Joe did not. (Neither did Yuy for that matter. ^^)

"Who are you?!?" Joe barked at Luke once more.

"Lucas Loverne Lowe, pleased to meet you." Luke did a sweeping bow that had the regality of a prince. Joe's eyes practically shot out of his head.

"But that would make you-" He was cut short by the laughter of Ann and Luke.

"Yes, it would." Luke smiled. "That would make us-"

"-dead." Ann finished.

"But it's not possible! I saw the shuttle go down! I was there! We were trying to get there before anything happened!"

"Didn't quite make it, did you?"

"Well, I sure as hell tried!"

"Hmm. This is turning out to be quite the melodrama. Don't you think, love?" Sora nudged Yuy.

"Quite. Although, I wish they wouldn't swear so much. It isn't proper."

".Sometimes I wonder just exactly how I put up with you." Sora mocked.

"Well, my dear, you just do." Yuy smiled and robbed her fingers in his hand.

"And I don't mind it, either." She smiled and leaned into his side.

"Good." Joe and Ann were in a staring contest which the former was loosing.

"So, you tried to save me as a three-year-old, but you're trying to arrest me, now? That doesn't make much sense, now does it?"

"Well, if you never make clear who you are, how are people supposed to get their standings right?"

"Maybe I like watching people squirm too much."

"All I have to say is that your parents wouldn't be too happy with the way you turned out. They were total pacifists. They'd be against you."

"Shut up!" Ann shrieked! "I don't remember them, so I don't see why I should care!" Everyone in the audience realized that Joe had struck a sour note with the Immortal Girl. She turned and started leaving. Andrew quickly got up and went after her. Luke just stood transfixed to the floor. Then he got pissed.*

"You know what, you're just, plain an ass! I have no idea why we're even putting up with you! Ann and I don't need your help! We can succeed on our own! You have no idea what our parents would have wanted! You have no right to make decisions for them! It doesn't matter how well you knew them, no one knew them better than us! Annie can't remember such things, but I can! We're doing exactly what they told us to, alright? We remember what they told us to do, and we're doing it, okay? So just back the hell away!" The boy had advanced on the President in a way that had shivers running down the backs of passers-by.

"." Joe had been shot full of holes by the young man's speech.

"Luke, what did your parents say to you?" Yuy asked in a concerned way. He and Sora both had personally known the Lowe family. They could never imagine them telling their children to fight in any way.

"I'm not at liberty to say." He seemed to have calmed down considerably.

"Why not?"

"It's not just my choice to involve you. I have to have Annie's approval. Let's just say that things aren't always how they seem, okay?" He looked at them in a new way. Everyone - from the time they first laid eyes on him - had figured Luke to be the chipper one of the two (Ann and Luke), but now they saw someone else. Luke's previously bright blue eyes were now tired and looked as though they'd seen twenty if not thirty times more things than they should have in their fifteen years on this planet. His smiled seemed bitter and his body wasted. He no longer looked fifteen, but seventy - nearing the end of his days.

"I'm sorry." The sudden statement shocked everyone. Joe was actually apologizing. "I think I went too far. I know the Lowe family, or at least knew them." He smiled sadly, looking at the floor. "Well, I knew Odin at least. Senior that is. I guess Ann lied when she told us she had no family, eh, Yuy?"

"Yeah. I guess." Yuy looked thoroughly distracted.

"At least we know why she was told how do manufacture Gundanium Alloy." Joe looked anything but ecstatic, though. "The only problem is, I can no longer find a reason good enough to hate that damn little girl."

"I guess that's a good thing." Sora smiled weakly.

"Now we just leave it to Andrew. If anyone can bring her spirits back up, it's Andrew. I think the two work very well together." Yuy stopped himself when he noticed Luke was glaring at him. "No! I didn't mean like that! They aren't going out or anything! I swear!" Luke returned his gaze to out the window.

"Well, now that we know I few more things, I guess the only thing left is to defeat OZ." Joe looked smug.

Luke snorted.

"What was that for?!?"

"Two things."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." He grinned in irony. "One is for the fact that you have a one- track mind - fighting and hate; second is for a pure and simple fact. The Federation can try and try as long as it wants. But it will never defeat OZ."


	10. Chapter Ten

"What do you mean by that?!?" Joe shrieked, infuriated at the insolent young man.

"OZ isn't like anything that you know, old man. They're way outta your league."

"I am the leader of the Federation Military! How dare you say that anything is out of my league!" Joe kept yelling at Luke.

"It's for your own good. Just defend yourself against them, that's all you can do. That's all anyone can do right now. Until we complete this." Luke's eyes were unfocused and he didn't seem to be paying much attention to anyone. He was transfixed on a thought that seemed to have just occurred to him.

"Complete what?" Joe's voice had softened slightly.

"You'll know someday. If you live that long, that is." He grinned slightly, then looked up at them with a happy smile. "Hmm. I'm hungry. Let's all go and get something to eat."

"Good idea." Yuy smiled and led the way out the door of the office they had been in.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ann was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest in an empty hallway when Andrew was able to find her. Though he had left the room only seconds later, she had gotten quite a bit ahead of him.

"Are you all right?" He asked in his accent.

"Yeah." She sighed. "I'm fine." Her voice sounded both annoyed and relieved.

"The stress is starting to get to me, though. I need something along the lines of a vacation." She sneered ironically. "Not that that's even possible."

"I know how you feel, or at least partially. Sure, I don't fight these battles, or have to put up with some unknown and destructive past, but I know how it feels to have to keep something a secret and have that be the hardest thing in the world." He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"For being so secretive and not talking to many people, you sure have great people skills." She laughed lightly.

"Why, thank you, Miss Ann." He grinned. "How nice of you to say that of me. I am very much grateful for your observations."

"Oi! Enough with the good-boy stuff. You're more entertaining when you're being conniving or annoying." Ann laughed again.

"Oh, I don't know if that's a complement or not." He laughed with her.

"We should probably go back to the office. I'm getting hungry."

"Yes, I agree." Andrew helped Ann to her feet and the two headed back to the office. Upon finding a note there that said everyone had gone to the cafeteria to eat, they decided to follow suit, and found the whole group sitting together talking about something.

"Miss me?" Ann plopped down next to her brother with her food, and Andrew sat down next to her.

"Not really. I had to wait ten years before seeing you, ten minutes is no challenge." He laughed and kissed her cheek. "Now, we need to talk when we're done eating, Annie-girl." He said in a more hushed tone.

"I know." She replied in the same tone. Andrew decided not to inquire into the issue.

When everyone was done eating, the two disappeared and Andrew went with his parents to their sleeping area. Ann and Luke found themselves in a deserted hallway.

"Now, what should we do? We can't endanger these people. Ann, we have a mission to complete." Luke looked seriously at his sister.

"I know. First of all, we need to find a place for Andrew to live, OZ followed me to his place. It's either in shambles or they're guarding it."

"Why should where he stays matter. We need to find them." Luke looked annoyed.

"Luke. These people have been good to me, I want to make sure they're safe." Ann touched her brother's hand lightly.

He sighed. "Fine. We'll get them a place to stay, then we leave."

"No, just a place for Andrew. No one is supposed to know he exists."

"Why not? What is he? A forbidden child?"

"Something like that. Heero Yuy is the leader of the colonies, and Sora Lournevier is the head of a very prominent family on the L4 complex area. Their child was born with neither of their parents knowing anything, and without them being married. That would stir some trouble. Also, if it were revealed that Heero Yuy had a son, it could mean big trouble for Andrew. He would constantly be in danger of being used as some sort of hostage to get his father to do things. It's just easier if no one knows he exists." Ann smiled lightly.

"Well. I still don't see why you care so much, but he can probably stay at the mansion on the 777 Resource Sat. Don't you think?"

"Hmm. Good idea."

"Now, onto more important details." He looked less annoyed and more serious again. "Have you found them?"

"No. I've got a hint on two, but the other two elude me."

"There are five, Annie."

"I know that. You didn't let me finish. I know where the last one is. For sure."

"Really? That's a relief. We need to find him and get him to contact the rest. He'd know where they are."

"That's the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't know where they are. They all separated." Ann sighed. "None of them know where the others are."

"Great. that's just freaking peachy keen." Luke groaned and rolled onto his back.

"So, what do you suggest we do?"

"Get your little buddie a place to stay, then go and get them all in one place. They need to get the blueprints."

"Umm. You do know where those are, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I'm the one who hid them, remember?"

"Well, can we get them easily?"

"Yes. Quite. I just need to get to the L1 Colony we came from."

"You hid them way back then?!?" Ann shrieked at her brother.

"Yeah. why?"

"Good grief. All right. Let's get this underway. Hopefully he doesn't find us first."

"Let's not talk about him."

"Right." The two headed back to the main group.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"OK, we have news for all of you." Ann and Luke had collected the group of them in the office again.

"And what is your so-called news?" Joe rolled his eyes.

"You're gonna like it, Joey-boy!" Luke winked at him.

"Why you-" He was cut off by Ann clearing her throat.

"Anyway, we have news for you all. First off, we found a place for Andrew to stay, and will personally escort him there."

"That's great!" Yuy and Sora looked relieved.

"It's one of our own old mansions. The Federation Military and OZ both don't know it exists. Only we two and a few select others know where it is."

"Good." Yuy smiled politely at the girl.

"Next, Yuy, Sora, you two should go back to your homes."

"That was the intention." Sora sighed sadly. "I'm afraid my vacation time is up on Saturday."

"Yes, same here." Yuy sighed as well.

"Lastly, Joe, you're gonna like this, the two of us have to disappear. Don't worry, you'll most likely see us again. We aren't going to head-on fight OZ or anything. We just have a few things we need to take care of. When that's over, we'll check back in with you." Ann bowed her head to the group and moved to stand next to her brother.

"What?" Andrew was the first to speak, surprisingly. "Where on Earth are you going?" He looked sad.

"Don't worry! We just have to make a few deliveries. The only problem is that we don't know where four of the people we need to deliver to are. And we need to get this done as soon as possible." Ann looked at him, smiling. "Don't worry, Andy, we'll be fine." She just shrugged her shoulders and Andrew sighed lightly.

"Never mind." He ran a hand through his messy hair.

Ann looked at him strangely for a while, as did Luke, but more discreetly.

"Well, I guess there is nothing that we can do to change your minds, so we'll just go along with your plan." Yuy sighed. "We will cooperate."

"Good." Luke grinned. "Now, Mr. President, we need a registered shuttle. This is very important. Register it to us, OK? Just use Anrui and Ruri Lethenanashi as our names. Is this all right with you?"

"Yes, it's fine." Joe joined in the mass sighing.

"Good. Andrew, get your things together, and your servants. We are heading out as soon as the shuttle is ready. Ann and I must get this done quickly. We've been hit with a ten-year sidetrack." Luke turned and walked out of the room. "Joe, come with me. I want to watch you do the registry." He yelled over his shoulder.

"I'm going to get my and Luke's things together." Ann said and walked out of the room. "Andrew, meet us in the shuttle port as soon as you have everything ready. And don't forget to pack a toothbrush!" She laughed lightly and turned a corner out of sight. Joe followed after Luke and Yuy and Sora went to go and get their things together to leave. Andrew went to go and find Isabelle, Louis, and Michael.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once preparations had been completed, Yuy and Sora left on their separate shuttles, and Ann, Luke, Andrew, Isabelle, Louis, and Michael left on the newly registered shuttle Joe had given them.

"Where exactly is this mansion?" Andrew asked Ann politely.

"It's a resource satellite that my parents owned. The house should still be in working order."

"Umm. I've never been to the colonies."

"Oh, I see. Well, this isn't much different from a colony. It's just smaller. Don't worry, there's artificial gravity there." Ann laughed. "You'll get used to it. It's a nice house. There are some young men's clothes there. They should fit you. Me and Luke will send you stuff every once and a while, right Luke?"

"Oh? Yeah, sure, kid." Luke continued to fly the shuttle into space.

"Well, thank you for the place to stay." Andrew blushed slightly.

"No problem. You gave me a place to stay, so we're just returning the favor." Ann smiled and leaned back in her chair, then swiveled it around to face Andrew.

"Nevertheless, thank you." Andrew smiled.

"Ack! Stop with the polite shit already!" Luke seemed to be getting annoyed. Ann turned back to face him.

"What's wrong, Niichan?"

"Nothing." He just glared out the front window.

"I know something is bothering you. I'm not stupid you know."

"So what. It's none of his business. Get him out of the cock pit." Luke turned his glare to Andrew and Ann's eyes narrowed.

"What do you have against Andrew, Lucas?"

"He's an annoyance. We could be well on our way to L1, but you insist on helping him." Luke growled. Andrew just looked down at his feet.

"You know what, Luke, you are completely ungrateful! Geezus! If it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead, then you wouldn't have been rescued, and our mission would have failed." Ann snapped at her brother.

"Ha! Like he would make a difference whether you lived or not! You would have been fine!"

"Dammit, Luke! What's wrong with you?!?"

"Nothing. What's wrong with you? I know, you've gotten soft, Anrui Lowe. Just plain soft." He snapped back.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you do this, I would have been fine." Andrew felt horrible.

"No, Andrew, it's fine, we don't mind."

"Like hell we don't! You're a nuisance, yet for some reason you have my sister's liking! It just proves that she's gone soft!"

"There's nothing wrong with me making friends with people, Luke!"

"It's not part of our mission to befriend little forbidden children, Annie! We need to complete this! You are letting yourself get distracted!"

"After we complete our mission, what is there to go to? Nothing! We have nothing, Lucas! Making a few friends won't hurt anything."

"That's your decision. You know I'd never abandon you, Annie. You're my sister. His only connection to you is that you stayed with him for something like a month. Who cares? You'll be friends for a little while, then be forgotten. Why get your hopes up?"

"Luke, when did you lose hope? You weren't like this before."

"We were five, Ann! Of course we're gonna change! It was just you and me. Now you've gotten all these people involved! It was supposed to be just the freaking two of us doing this!" Ann's eyes got big.

"That's it! You're mad because you're not the only person I think about anymore! You're just mad that you're not the only person I care about! That's such a selfish thing, Luke!"

"What's your point? It's always just been us, Ann. It was meant to be that way."

"Dammit! You're just a spoiled little boy!" Ann stood up. "We're going to complete this mission, then live our lives as normally as possible. You'll fall in love and get married and I'll do the same! We'll have children and be happy! Pass this terror on to someone else! We didn't want it, so we don't have to keep it forever!"

"You really think it'll work out like that? You shouldn't put your hopes up too high. They'll only get shattered."

"Luke. I don't know what's happened to you to make you like this, but I hope to God that it doesn't last. I want my brother back!" A tear slipped down her cheek. "You aren't him. You aren't the person I loved. Not at all. You used to tell me not to give up! To have hope that someday this would all be over! What happened?"

"I grew up. So did you." He just stared out the front window.

"We can't stay children forever. You know that. But you should at least try to retain some of that childlike innocence."

"Innocence? How can you say that? With all that has happened, how can you say that?!?" Luke shrieked suddenly, and they both noticed he was crying.

"Luke-"

"We're fighting Odin for crying out loud! How can you say that?!? Annie! You don't seem to understand! There's no way out, now! We have to either destroy him or let him destroy us!" He sobbed lightly.

"I know that. We just need to keep hoping. It'll be all right in the end. You'll see." She smiled lightly at her brother, and he smiled back.

"I hope you're right. I really do. I hope you're right." Luke went back to piloting the ship.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After they dropped Andrew off on the satellite, the twins headed for the L1 B617 Colony.

Upon reaching the colony, the two made a quick reconnaissance of the blue prints, and headed off to find the first of their owners.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Five years later, something terrible happened.

Ann and Luke had just finished delivering the last of the blue prints when it happened. The news teams were all over it, it was everywhere.

They had been heading back to make a nice visit to Andrew - against Luke's wishes - when they heard. Two things, really, had happened. One slightly more important than the other.

The less important thing was that the Queen of the Sanc Kingdom, Queen Peacecraft, was pregnant. The Lowes had known the Peacecrafts long ago, but Ann and Luke were sure that if they suddenly turned up on their doorstep, they'd give the poor family a heart-attack.

Now, the more important thing. the dreadful thing.

It was After Colony 175. Heero Yuy had been assassinated.

Ann had been in shock, Luke had just shaken his head and said 'no'. The two hurried their trip to the satellite quite a bit upon getting this news. They arrived there exactly four days after it happened.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ann rushed to the doors of the mansion and knocked heavily and quickly. She had already noticed Sora's shuttle present at the building. A very depressed-looking Isabelle opened the door and was shocked to find Ann standing there.

"Miss Ann!" She had said it so loudly that all four other inhabitants of the house rushed to the door. Sora, Andrew, Louis, and Michael.

"It is you!" Sora just stared at her. Ann just nodded as Luke caught up with her.

"Both of you." Louis smiled lightly. "At least you're safe. We were starting to think that you were dead." His eyes teared slightly.

"I am so sorry." Ann finally was able to get out. Luke just nodded, feeling horrible for having hated Andrew so badly.

"How are you doing?" He put in after a while.

"As well as can be expected." Michael let them into the house. The group of seven people were situated on the living room furniture. Louis and Isabelle on the two-person couch, Michael and Sora each in the chairs, and Andrew, Ann, and Luke on the large couch.

"I really am sorry." Ann felt even more horrible than anyone could have anticipated. "It's all our fault, too." Luke nodded. The other five people looked at them oddly.

"How is it your fault?" Sora asked. "Don't be ridiculous."

"We know who killed him." Ann choked out. They just stared.

"Our brother did." Luke finally put in. "He killed him. Sure, he wanted to break the peace of the colonies, but he did it to draw us out as well." His eyes were at his feet. "You don't know how sorry we are. We would do anything to make it so that this had never happened, but we can do nothing."

"It's not your fault. Please do not feel responsible." Andrew spoke up at last. "If there was nothing you could have done to stop it, then there is nothing that you can do about it." His eyes were half shut and they could all tell that he was tired. Of what, no one knew.

"I'm so sorry, Andrew." Ann's eyes filled with tears once more. "We weren't able to see him again, either." She looked at Luke slightly.

"Yes. We're sorry." Luke felt like punching himself. "And I'm sorry for being so rude to you. You didn't deserve that. I was just pouting. I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Andrew said, emotionlessly. "I didn't take it personally. All these things were shoved upon you. You acted naturally." He stood up. "I'm going to go for a walk." He obviously meant alone, but Ann got up and followed him out of the room.

Ann let Andrew walk alone for a while before she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Forget it." He said before she could even open her mouth. "I don't want your pity. There's nothing we can do, so we just have to put up with it and hope that the villain comes to justice."

"But that villain is my own brother." Ann looked at the ground.

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Well, one died in the accident with mom and dad." She trailed off slightly. "But only one. Otherwise, I have three that are still alive."

"You lie a lot."

"I know."

"You shouldn't."

"I know."

"Tell me who they are."

"Luke, of course, Odin, the eldest of us, and Charles, the second oldest. My only sister died."

"Fascinating." Andrew just stared in front on him.

"Andrew, don't be like this! You'll wind up like me." She trailed off again.

"No. You've had far more things happen to you like this. I'm just being selfish. You're parents were assassinated, weren't they?"

"Yes. By OZ."

"I know."

"And OZ assassinated your father."

"Then OZ must be the one to fall."

"We're working on it. But it won't be for at least another decade or two. They'll stay in the shadows, but they will be back, whether we want them to be or not."

"But that's what you and Lucas are working on, is it not?"

"Yes. it is. How did you know."

"I'm not completely stupid, you know."

"Yes. I know."

"Good. Then don't treat me like a small child." He suddenly turned to face her, and Ann saw something new in his chocolate eyes. "Let me help you. I want to know that I did something to rid the world of those people."

"No." Her face was suddenly stern. "There is nothing left to do but wait. Luke and I are just going to disappear now." Andrew looked shocked.

"There is nothing?"

"Nope. We have to wait for those with the strength to continue. That won't be until they are completed."

"What are completed?"

"The things on the blue prints."

"What blue prints?"

"The Mobile Suits."

"Mobile. Suit? I heard you and the President talking about them once."

"It's still being developed. They're giant robotic-type things with a pilot and weaponry. My father designed five of them. They are now starting to be developed. Luke and I designed yet another, but I don't want it to be built. It's far too dangerous."

"You are making them out of Gundanium, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"So they will be Gundams?"

"Hmm. What a good name. I like it."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, if you really want to help me, you can do one thing." Ann grinned devilishly.

"Oh yes, and what is that?" Andrew raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"You can let me stay here with you."

"It's your house."

"No, it's yours. You live here, not me. I don't live anywhere."

"What about Luke."

"He can do what he likes. I'm not his keeper. We can be apart. We've learned that."

"You grew up, Annie." Andrew smiled.

"I'm twenty. Legally an adult.*" Ann smiled.

"True, very true." Andrew smiled. "All right, you may stay with me on one condition."

"And that is?"

"That you aren't going to leave without taking me with you." He leaned up against a tree."

"My, my. now aren't you a conniving one? I like this version of you." She laughed. "It's much more intriguing. Fine. I accept your terms and conditions."

"Good." "Why does this feel odd?" She blinked a couple of times.

"I don't know."

"Andrew."

"Nani?"

"Uhh. never mind."

"What were you going to ask."

"Umm. nothing?"

"Ann."

"I should. go tell Luke I'm staying here!" She shot off, leaving Andrew completely dumbfounded.

"O.K." He just blinked a couple of times and headed back to the house."

"You're gonna what!?!" Luke shrieked when Ann told him her decision to stay here. "Hello! That's not cool!"

"C'mon! Don't spaz out on me, now! Go! Live your life! Get married, have kids! Be normal, dammit!" Ann laughed.

"What? Is that what you're gonna do?"

"Eventually, why? What, are you suddenly going to be an over-protective brother?"

"No. It's just. You do realize what this looks like, right?"

"Whaddya mean?" Ann looked confused.

"Are you and Andrew dating?"

"WHAT?!?"

"Well, it just looks that way!" Luke dodged his sister's attempt to tackle him.

"How could you think that!?!?" Ann was really annoyed now.

"Well." Luke suddenly got thoughtful. "You would make a cute couple." He burst out laughing when he saw the color of his sister's face and the fact that her eyes were crossed. "You do like him, don't you?"

"As a friend! Only as a friend!" She said a little too quickly.

"Sure. I believe you." Luke rolled his eyes. "What would you do if he kissed you?"

"Umm. well. Oh, I dunno! Luke, that's not fair!"

"Yes it is!" He laughed. "You're telling me to leave you here, with Andrew, in this house. It'll be just you and three servants."

"So?"

"Well. that really does look suspicious!"

"Luke!"

"What? It does!"

"Oi." She smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Sometimes it's really easy to pretend I don't know you."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." He said sarcastically.

"Well!"

"Well, what? I dare you to just kiss him or something. He'd probably turn just as red as you are now. But, fine. I'll leave you here. If you ever want me to come get you, you know how to contact me."

"Arigatou, Oniisan. Ai shiteru." She kissed his cheek.

"Right. Ai shiteru, ja ne, Imoutosan." He sighed and headed out the door closest to him.

"Hai. Ja ne." Ann smiled and headed out the back door to find Andrew. She found him in a garden watering plants. "Well. I'm staying with you and Luke is going to Earth."

"OK." He looked up at her, smiling and Ann suddenly paled. "What's wrong?"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid." She started smacking herself on the forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"Andrew. I'm gonna kill you!" She pounced towards him, but he dodged barely in time.

"Waah! What'd I do?!?" He shrieked.

"You tricked me!" He suddenly grinned.

"How so?"

"Aargh! You know it, too, don't you?"

"Of course!" He laughed.

"Oh, I hate you, you conniving little man!"

"I thought you said you liked it when I was conniving!"

"Not to this extent!"

"Well, that's your problem. Now."

"Ack!"

He laughed.

"Oi! Bakayarou! Kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso!"

"Hey! That's not nice!"

"So what?!?" She leapt at him again. "You tricked me!"

"Well. I'm a rich snob and I always get what I want."

"I noticed! Mou!"

"Hmm-hm!" He snickered, but his snickering caused him to loose sight of where Ann was, and she tackled him correctly.

"Muahaha!" She laughed. "I've got you! You conniving little fool!"

"Really now?" He flipped over so he was sitting on her stomach. "It seems that I have caught you, my dear."

"You two do realize that you look quick suggestive like that, right?" Luke had walked around the corner and was laughing. "Yes, quite cute."

"Hmm." Andrew smiled. "I do agree." The two boys laughed and Ann turned indignantly pink.

"Get off me, you big oaf!"

"Hmm. Now why would I want to do that?" He looked down at her, grinning playfully.

"Uhh. well." She gulped. "If you kiss me, I'll castrate you!" Andrew turned white and Luke fell over he was laughing so hard.

"Umm. How about not? That would hurt quite a bit."

"That's the point, my dear boy."

"Umm. Would you really?" He looked quite nervous.

"No. But I would if you weren't my friend."

"Oh, good. Because it you really would, I might have to run." His grin got bigger.

"Oi! Luke, get him off me!"

"No way, you got yourself there, you get yourself out!" He was still laughing. Then he turned to Andrew. "Just do it already, kid!"

"If you say so." And he kissed her. Ann turned bright red first, but they were both red when a camera flashed from nowhere.

Luke was grinning devilishly. "You really do make a cute couple. Though, your children will have serious mental issues!" He laughed as the two jumped up and attempted to pounce on him. "Don't worry! I support this relationship, but if you hurt my sister you're gonna die in your sleep!" Luke got Andrew in a headlock and ruffled his hair, and Andrew turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Luke!" Ann shrieked. "Ack! How come I have no say in this!?!"

"Because you didn't seem to mind when Mister Britain kissed you." Ann turned red(der).

"Umm. well." Andrew and Luke both laughed. "Oh! You two are so mean!" She flopped down on her back on the grass. "Aargh!"

Andrew walked over and sat down next to her. "Really, now? Are we mean, or correct?"

"You are just a little to straight-forward, mister!" She smacked him on the arm, but Luke noticed the way her mouth curved up slightly.

"Really, now. How interesting. I thought you'd like that." He smiled and looked directly at her.

"Well. I'm thinking I'm going to have to, now aren't I?"

"Yes, my dear, you are." He reached out and ran his hand across the side of her face and brushed back her hair slightly.

"Oh well." She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Just take care of her." Luke said lightly and Andrew noticed how his eyes were directly on his sister. "Like I said, if you hurt her, I'll kill you." He walked back around the house.

"You're brother loves you a lot." Andrew smiled down at Ann.

"I know. And I'd like to think that you do too."

"I don't think I have much of a choice. You kind of forced yourself on me. You know that, right?"

"Mmhmm." She smiled again and yawned. "I'm tired."

"Then, we'll pick a room for you and you can go to bed."

"Yeah. I already picked one. My notebook is in it." She yawned again and settled against his side lightly.

Andrew just let her lay like that for a while, then smiled lightly when he noticed she had fallen asleep. "I think that I am supposed to love you, my dear. And that I am supposed to keep you here with me. But of course you will get restless. It's in your nature. Then we'll go and visit a few friends. Well. all the people that know I exist anyway. Through an accident or because my parents were so happy that they told their best friends about me. Now, I have to tell them about you, my dear. We both must live in the shadows. But, nevertheless, we must make the best of everything. And this is one of those things that it is not hard to make the best of. Yes, I tricked you a bit, but I don't think you wouldn't have let me get away with it if you had minded so much. You are much smarter than that. And I know it. You let me trick you, so I think that you care about me as well. The extent of that care is yet unknown to me, but I will treasure it completely. You know I will." He gently kissed her forehead and picked her up. "I should put you to bed, my dear girl." He smiled lightly. "My dear girl."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Months passed and days went by. The five people living in the secret house on a resource satellite grew closer and happier. It is now After Colony 177. We have an important announcement to make on this day as well.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ann and Andrew were standing in the middle of the living room, smiling. Sora was visiting, and so was Luke. They figured now as good a time as any.

"Oh, come on! What were you going to tell us!" The mystery was completely annoying Luke to no end.

"Well." Andrew started. "Ann and I have decided to get married."

"Oh, my! This is wonderful!" Sora laughed as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Well. I expected it." Luke smiled at his little sister.

"We have been living here together for almost two years, this is just our way of completing this bond of affection." Andrew smiled.

"Yeah. But that's not the fun part!"

"Fun part?" Luke raised an eyebrow at his usually reserved younger sister. She was now about to explode her face, her smile was so big. and truly happy.

"Yeah! We're getting together with a mutual family friend for the wedding! Someone who knows that we both exist! They will perform the service at their home on Earth. That way none of you guys have to get trained to perform weddings!" She laughed.

"Who do you mean?" Sora blinked. "I only know of a handful of people that know that Andrew even exists!"

"Well, Luke should know." Ann looked directly into her brother's eyes.

"Oh my-!" His eyes got huge! "You don't mean!"

"Yes I do!"

"Waah! Geezus! The Peacecraft family?!?"

Sora, Isabelle, Louis, and Michael all almost fell over.

"Yep! They know that Andrew's alive and they knew our family. They just don't know we're still alive." Ann just shrugged. "Oh, well, that shouldn't pose too much of a problem."

"Well, we're heading out in about four hours for Earth! Everyone get ready! Oh, and I have interesting news, too." Andrew suddenly smacked his fist in his hand. "Annie has to wear a dress for this, so mother and Isabelle have to take her shopping once we get to Sanc."

"Yay!" Sora shouted.

"Oh, I feel so honored!" Isabelle's eyes teared.

"A WHAT?!?" Ann suddenly shrieked. "No way! I've seen one dress in my life that I've liked, and that, sadly, is no longer in one piece!"

"Well, now you get to get a wedding dress, my dear." Andrew smiled.

"ANDREW!!!" Ann shrieked and tackled him, something he was not expecting.

"Annie, love, what's wrong with wearing a dress?"

"." She was clenching her fists and looked about ready to beat the tar out of him.

"Maybe that was the wrong question." He was visibly paler.

"Yes. it was. Now, I am going to kill you."

"Hey! If you kill me, I can't marry you!"

Ann sat up slightly and blinked. "Fine! Then, I'm going to maul you!"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "And you're thinking that's gonna be torture?"

"OK. then I'm not going to even touch you until the wedding!" She got off him and marched out of the room with her nose in the air.

"Ack! Annie! Come back here! We already discussed that you have to wear a dress! Not again while mum and Mr. Lucas are here!"

"." No one but Andrew saw it, but Ann flipped him the bird.

"ANN!" He bolted after her. "That was MEAN! You get back here right now!"

"Not happening, kiddo!" They heard the faint reply. Neither of them could be heard any longer as they were out of hearing distance.

"Geez. I feel sorry for you three." Luke motioned to Isabelle, Louis, and Michael.

"And I feel sorry for you, sir." Isabelle laughed. "You're gonna be related to the pair of them."

"Hmm. I hadn't thought of that." He paled. "Annie's enough. not him too!" They all laughed at the boy's predicament.

"Oh, well. At least they're happy." Sora smiled lightly. "And I'll finally get a daughter!" She glomped the idea.

"Good grief!" All four other occupants of the room smacked their foreheads.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

About four hours later the shuttle that Joe had given Ann and Luke had taken off with seven occupants inside and ready for a wedding! It arrived at the Sanc air station about twelve hours later and the group got their things into the rental van and headed to the palace. (Yeah. just walk into the palace. that'll work.)

Needless to say, they ran into problems talking to the Peacecrafts. It wasn't until Sora told them to tell Queen Peacecraft that she was Sora Lournevier that they even went in to talk to any of the family. Upon hearing the name of Sora, they were immediately allowed in. (Huh. lax security. *blink blink*)

"Sora!" The Queen shouted. "How are you? My, I haven't seen you in ages!" She looked about at the others and immediately recognized Andrew. "My, my! Andrew, you look well, sweetheart!"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"You're twenty-one or -two now?"

"Twenty-two." He smiled politely.

"Now! You two must introduce me to the rest of this group!" She hadn't noticed Ann and Luke as they were at the back of the ensemble of people.

"Well. This is Isabelle Travis." She pointed to Isabelle. "She's our maid, and Andrew's nanny from when he was young. She's more of a family friend now than anything."

"Wonderful! How nice to meet you!" The Queen shook Isabelle's hand politely.

"This is Louis Travis, Isabelle's husband and our cook, once again, family friend is a better description." Sora smiled and Ann's jaw dropped. She jabbed Andrew in the back.

"They're married?!?" She shriek-whispered to him.

"Oh, yes. Didn't you know?"

"NO!"

"Oh. sorry!"

"And this is Michael Lambert, our driver. He's also quite a good friend."

The Queen had shaken both of their hands and said nice words to them as well.

"Now, aren't there two others with you, I can kind of see them back there."

"Ah, yes!" Sora smiled. "She stepped aside so the Queen could see Ann and Luke. "This is my son's fiancée and her brother. Ann and Lucas Lowe." She smiled and the Queen just stared at them, slack-jawed. Ann and Luke were starting to get nervous, needless to say.

"Lowe?" She repeated. "Is that what you said their name was?"

"Yes, Ann and Lucas Lowe."

The Queen stood up and walked over to the two young adults.

"You are. You are Odin and Aki's children, aren't you?"

"Oh. yeah, you could say that." Ann said nervously. The Queen walked up and hugged them tightly.

"I thought you were dead!"

"Most people do." Luke smiled lightly.

"Why didn't you contact anyone?"

"Because that would cause problems. like hundreds of people asking us just how we survived."

"How did you survive?"

"Well, that's a long story. We have to talk to you about other things."

"Oh, really, like what?"

"Well, Andrew and I are getting married, and we need someone to do the service. like a priest. I happen to know that your dear husband is authorized to do that." Ann smiled innocently.

"Oh!" The Queen laughed. "Oh, of course! We'd be pleased to! But come now, you have to meet my son! I'll just introduce Andrew as your fiancée." She smiled and tapped Ann on the shoulder.

"Thanks." Ann smiled and the group followed the Queen out into the garden area.

"Now! This is my wonderful new baby boy! Isn't he precious?" The Queen picked up a little boy with bleach-blonde hair and soft blue eyes. "His name is Milliardo." She smiled when the baby cooed.

"He's adorable!" Sora and Isabelle said in unison and began to swoon over the baby. Louis had to pull Isabelle back and Andrew did the same to his mother.

"He is cute." Ann said lightly and Luke grabbed her in a headlock before she, too, could glomp the baby. "What?!? He is!"

"Well. We should go find my husband. He'll definitely do the wedding, though. I'll make sure of it!" The Queen smiled brightly.

"Thanks!" Ann smiled and put her arm through Andrew's, he patted her hand lightly.

"No problem, we owe it to your parents if nothing else." She smiled sadly. "I'm glad you two survived."

"Yeah." Ann felt slightly bad about not telling her the truth.

"Now! Darling! I have good news for you!" The Queen came up upon her husband and kissed his cheek.

"Oh, hello, Sora! How nice to see you." He smiled politely. There were two other people with him. "Oh, you haven't met the Darlians, have you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Mr. Darlian is my advisor, and this is his wife."

"Oh, nice to meet you!" Sora shook their hands.

"Darling!" The Queen impatiently tapped his shoulder and the King laughed.

"Yes, yes, dear. What's that you wanted to tell me?"

She grabbed Ann and Luke. "You'll never guess who these two are!"

"They look. familiar." He scrunched his eyebrows together thoughtfully.

"They're Odin and Aki's children! Ann and Lucas Lowe!" The King's jaw went slack.

"They're. who?!?"

"Uhh. Hello, sir!" Ann smiled and scratched the back of her head.

"You. do look like them."

"Thanks." Luke smiled lightly.

"How did you find them?" The King looked hard at the Queen.

"They came here with Sora! Andrew and Ann are getting married! Isn't that lovely?"

"Yes, it's wonderful!"

"And. dar-ling!"

"Uh-oh." They all laughed.

"You are to marry them! Isn't that wonderful?"

"I guess that's fine. I don't have anything else to do this week."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Sora smiled. "Now, we have to go shopping for Ann's dress!"

"Oh, may I come?" The Queen smiled happily at the thought.

"Of course!" Ann smiled.

"Thank you very much!"

"Nope, not a problem." Ann just shrugged.

"Well, when should the wedding be?"

"As soon as possible, so my dear bride doesn't decide to run off." Andrew laughed first but they all joined in.

"Now why would I do that?"

"I don't know, honestly. I'm wonderful." Andrew faked fluffing his collar and stuck his nose up in the air.

"Oh, really." Ann looked seductively at him and he blushed and cleared his throat loudly.

"We should. go talk about something." He grabbed the King and Luke and they shot off, the two hostages laughing the whole time.

"Well, should we go?" Sora asked the ladies remaining. (Which is all of them.)

"Yep! If we must go at all, let's go now!" Ann laughed. "I don't want to wear the stupid thing, but if Andrew insists, then I probably should." She sighed. "It's not just my wedding after all. Then it wouldn't be a wedding at all."

"True! Let's go!"

And the dress picking party headed off, with Michael along to drive. Louis and Luke had just laughed and decided to watch Milliardo.

Once they had the dress picked out, the four ladies headed back, with Michael along for good measure.

Andrew, of course, wanted to see the dress, but they wouldn't let him.

"Oh, come on! Why not?"

"Because it's bad luck!"

"Please!"

"No!"

This argument between Ann and Andrew lasted quite a while, but they finally settled down and came to a mutual agreement. Andrew could not see the dress. This was mutual because Ann had promised to actually wear it. And he'd see it eventually anyway.

Then came the next day, or more importantly, the day of the wedding (my, these people move quickly). The King was wearing a priest's robe and was smiling widely. The Queen was, too, though she was only sitting next to Sora.

Andrew was slightly impatient. He wanted to get this over with, for one thing, and he really did want to see his soon-to-be-wife's dress. As her father was dead, Luke was forced to give his sister away. Something he thought very highly of. It was his job, and by George, he'd do it well!

Then was the moment everyone had been waiting for. The bride appeared. The dress really was important enough to want to watch for. As the Yuys had enormous sums of money, they had had a rather extensive fund for the dress. And it was a beautiful dress. The kind most girls dream of. That is, all girls, really, except the ones who really don't like dresses.

It was white, of course, and off-shoulder. There weren't many sequins. Well, none at all, really. And there was only a bit of lace. But the dress was still beautiful. It was floor-length and form-fitting until the waist, where is only partially fanned out. Ann was wearing a pendant with a dark blue gem on it, the same color as her eyes, and she was wearing a veil. Seeing Luke in a suit was also quite amusing. He didn't seem to be enjoying it much, that was for sure. But, Andrew's attention was on the perturbed man's sister, not the perturbed man. Luke let his sister go at the alter, and took his place next to Andrew, on the opposite side as his sister.

The King started the vows, but no one was really paying too close attention, they caught the 'I do's', but were looking more intently at the couple than the words. They looked perfect together, that was for sure. And when the King said 'You may now kiss the bride', there was a mass amount of cheering. It was lovely, the whole wedding. In a way that cannot be described very easily in words.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

"Ack!" A feminine scream echoed through the building. "Andrew! I'm gonna kill you!"

"What did I do this time?" Andrew whined and slumped down in his chair, letting the newspaper in his hands slide down and cover his face.

"Where's my laptop?!?!"

"Uhh. How should I know?!?" He rolled his eyes.

"Master Andrew. Shouldn't you help her look?" Isabelle wandered into the living room with a tray and tea.

"No. She'd just bite my head off." He sighed dramatically. "I hate PMSing girls."

"She's not PMSing, she's pregnant."

"Even worse!" He groaned and paled when he heard the shriek again.

"Andrew! Help me find the damn thing!"

"I suppose I must." He sighed, got up, and ascended the stairs.

"They're so cute." Isabelle swooned silently, picked up the tray once more, and went back into the kitchen from which she came.

"Yes, Annie-chan?" He looked at her and smiled.

"Help me find my laptop!" There were big tears in her eyes and she was sitting on the floor. Andrew winced and sighed.

"All right. Where did you have it last?"

"I. don't know!" She burst out sobbing.

"Ack! Annie! C'mon! Crying isn't going to help!" Wrong move.

"Oh, you're mean! I hate you!" She had gone from sobbing to pissed in .001 seconds. The small Japanese girl picked up a shoe and hurled it at him.

"Waah! Annie! Yipe!" Dodging shoes is not an Olympic contest for a reason. if the one throwing is Ann Lowe, you're screwed. Or skewered, whichever happens first.

There was one loud thud, followed by another, and Andrew found himself looking up at the ceiling from his back on the floor. "Ow."

"Sorry!" Another dramatic mood swing. Now she was all-too-sweet.

"No, I'm fine." Andrew stood up and rubbed his back. "I think your laptop is on the table downstairs."

"Really!" She ran forward and grabbed him around the neck in a hug. "Thank you!" She kissed him and bolted out the door.

Andrew turned his eyes to heaven, and muttered to Him lightly. "Remind me to never impregnate her again, please?"

He sighed and went back down the stairs. "Just two more months. Just gotta keep telling myself that."

The next two months passed. uneventfully, and it was March of After Colony 180 when Ann Lowe gave birth to, with a little help in creation from Andrew, Rei Ayame Lowe. They had decided to use Ann's last name, for their son's chance at going to school like a normal child and the like. The exact date: March 14 - White Day - 180 AC.* Rei was a small child, with dark brown hair (from his father) and dark blue eyes (from his mother).

Four months later, the Yuy family was invited to the Peacecraft residence for a. 'get together'.

"Ann! How wonderful to see you!" Queen Peacecraft shrieked happily.

"You too!" Ann rubbed her ears slightly and smiled.

"Andrew! Isabelle! Michael! Louis!" Queen Peacecraft kissed them all on the cheek briefly. "Wonderful to see all of you!" When she saw Rei, God can be thanked the child was not smothered. "He's so adorable! How old is he?"

"He was four months two days ago." Ann smiled and cradled her child against her.

"Oh! He's only a month older than my daughter!"

"You had another child? Congratulations!" Ann smiled and congratulated her.

"Yes! We named her Relena." She smiled and suddenly brightened up even more.

"I'll run and get her!" She ran off through the house to retrieve her newest child. When she returned, she was carrying a little girl with light brown hair and light blue eyes, and her son was trailing behind her. "Isn't she beautiful?" She cooed and smiled at her daughter.

"Yes, very." Ann smiled again. She seemed to be doing that quite a bit.

"Milliardo turned four a couple months ago, too." She patted her son on the head as Isabelle took Relena for her.

"I can see he's gotten bigger!" Ann laughed gently. "How are you, little one?"

"Good." He answered shortly and looked her defiantly in the eyes. "You?"

"I'm wonderful, thank you for asking." She tried to pat him on the head, but he dodged her hand.

"I don't know you, you're a stranger." His blue eyes were almost cold towards her, and he was obviously protective of his mother and sister.

"I'm the one that your father helped to marry when you were just a baby. He married myself and Andrew, so that we could be together, and not be known.." She smiled and stood up, as she had been kneeling next to the boy.

"Fine." He looked at her in the face. "But who are you?"

"My name is Ann Lowe, Yuy by marriage." She balanced her son carefully with one hand and held out the other for the young boy to shake, and he did so, then smiled slightly.

"I like you. You don't treat me like I'm an idiot."

"No, you're very intelligent for your age. Almost just like me. Except I don't think you quite have some of the problems I had. But then again, you may." Her eyes shaded over and became sad and nostalgic.

"I hope not, because these things seem to sadden you." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Is he your son?" He pointed to Rei.

"Yes, he is. His name is Rei Ayame Lowe." She showed the sleeping baby to the boy.

"How old is he?"

"Four months."

"Why does he have your last name and not your husband's?"

"Because people are more likely to recognize my husband's than my own. Though both are known."

"I see." They both turned to Rei, as he had woken up. His blue eyes trailed from his mother's face to the blonde-haired boy before him. "He looks exactly like a combination of you and your husband. His hair and your eyes."

"Yes, he does, doesn't he?"

"Truly. When is his birthday?"

"March 14, White Day."

"What is 'White Day'?"

"The opposite of Valentines Day. In Japan, the nation that my heritage comes from, they celebrate both Valentines and White Day. On Valentines, girls give the boys brown chocolate, and on White Day, the boys have to give every girl -- who gave them chocolate -- white chocolate."

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah, hard to have fun with it when the only boys around are your son, your husband, your chef, and your chauffeur."

"Hey!" All the aforementioned men, with the exception of Rei, exclaimed playfully.

"Just kidding, boys!" All around laughed. Amid the laughter, only Ann and the infant child heard Milliardo's odd statement.

"I feel that I will know your son someday. I should like to hope that I remember him, but I do not think that I will by features alone." He looked thoughtfully at the small boy again. "And I don't feel that you'll be able to help me remember, Miss Ann. I can't say why, but I do feel this way."

Later that night, supper was prepared at the Peacecraft residence. or rather, palace. With Louis's help, of course. Never would a meal be made with him around that he hadn't helped with.

"Well, what are you two going to be doing after you leave here?" Queen Peacecraft asked Ann and Andrew politely.

"Going home, I suppose. There isn't much else we can do. When Rei becomes old enough for school, we were talking about having him live with Isabelle on one of the colonies so that his schooling is normal and he can meet people on his own, rather than just the people we know." Ann took a drink of water.

"We could take him in for schooling, that wouldn't be a problem. Our children will be going to private school." King Peacecraft offered.

"That would work, I suppose." Ann smiled. "Though, we don't wish to be a burden."

"Oh, of course not! You could never be!"

"Thank you!" Ann smiled and laughed lightly.

"Do you two intend to have any more children?" Queen Peacecraft asked cheerfully.

"No." Ann and Andrew answered in unison.

"Wha.?"

Everyone was rather taken aback by their abrupt answer.

"Why not?" Queen Peacecraft asked, in mild shock.

"Because. Having Rei nearly killed me." Ann murmured indignantly. "My body just isn't right for being pregnant. Plus, I nearly maimed poor Andrew."

"You can say that again! She went from mad to frantic to sad to pissed to lovey-dovey in a matter of minutes! I had more shoes thrown at me in that damn nine-month period than I even knew we owned!" Andrew paled and grimaced.

"Yeah. It wasn't good. Ann is a little touchy to begin with. Her PMSing is horrible. Her pregnant was even worse." Isabelle grinned and returned to feeding Rei.

"I agree with love." Louis whistled beneath his breath. "Ann is. how do you say. a fire cracker."

"Yeah. that's being nice." Mike laughed.

"Oi! Are you guys teaming up against me?!?!?" Ann glared at them all, annoyed.

"Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know." Andrew stuck his tongue out at her, and then they all laughed, Ann included.

"I suppose not!" She fake-sighed, then they all laughed again.

Two weeks later, after a largely-prolonged stay at the Peacecraft's, Ann, Andrew, and their friends and son left to return to the satellite.

"Well, that was fun." Andrew smiled as they sat down to tea a day after returning to their home.

"Yeah." Ann was looking at her cut quite intently, with her brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"Just something bugging me. Itching at my stomach. It's like being nervous, but I can't figured out what I'd be nervous for. It's confusing."

"I suppose so. What could it be? Do you have any idea whatsoever?"

"No. None." She looked over at him, then shook her head lightly. "I have no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it, that's all I've got. If you actually want more, you can get it in one of two ways: 
> 
> Ask for an outline of what will happen (which would make me have to re-read this godawful mess and I'll probably cry a little).
> 
> Get four of your friends to help you request I finish this ridiculous piece of poo.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


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